Trump Proposes U.S. Cities as Military “Training Grounds” in Address to Generals
At Quantico, Trump urges domestic deployment; Pentagon chief calls for restoration of “warrior ethos”
In a speech at Marine Corps Base Quantico on September 30, Donald Trump urged U.S. cities—particularly those he called crime-ridden—to be used as military “training grounds” as part of a strategy to combat what he described as an internal threat.
He named cities including Los Angeles, Washington, and Chicago.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed this stance, instructing senior military officers to reinstate a “warrior ethos” and announcing changes to fitness, grooming, and discipline policies.
He criticized what he characterized as declining standards within the ranks and urged officers not aligned with the new directives to step aside.
Hegseth also floated rebranding the Department of Defense as the Department of War, declaring “the era of the Department of Defense is over” at the gathering.
He pushed for stricter physical requirements—including gender-neutral but rigorous benchmarks—and challenged diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
Trump and Hegseth delivered the remarks before an unusually large assembly of generals and admirals, many of whom were convened on short notice.
The gathering marked one of the most overt efforts to align military policy with political objectives in recent years, particularly in the realm of domestic security and force posture.
He named cities including Los Angeles, Washington, and Chicago.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed this stance, instructing senior military officers to reinstate a “warrior ethos” and announcing changes to fitness, grooming, and discipline policies.
He criticized what he characterized as declining standards within the ranks and urged officers not aligned with the new directives to step aside.
Hegseth also floated rebranding the Department of Defense as the Department of War, declaring “the era of the Department of Defense is over” at the gathering.
He pushed for stricter physical requirements—including gender-neutral but rigorous benchmarks—and challenged diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
Trump and Hegseth delivered the remarks before an unusually large assembly of generals and admirals, many of whom were convened on short notice.
The gathering marked one of the most overt efforts to align military policy with political objectives in recent years, particularly in the realm of domestic security and force posture.
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