Pete Hegseth's State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico on September 30, 2026, delivered to about 600 troops, turned on the press covering the Iran war. According to the Pentagon's as-delivered transcript, he said “our so-called press makes Iranian state media look reasonable,” and: “A free press is of course important, but partisan activism that intentionally smears the troops and the historic mission they are undertaking is fundamentally anti-American. It's sick. It's a national betrayal. It's treason, actually.” NPR noted that despite the war, now in its seventh month, the Pentagon has not held a news briefing since May. Some headlines described all Iran coverage as a “national betrayal”; he aimed the words at “partisan activism that intentionally smears the troops.”
He also delivered, in an official address, the slur he used in August: “No fatties. No trannies. No beardos. No weirdos. No wimps. No radicals. Just warriors.” Some outlets misprinted the line; the Pentagon transcript has it as quoted here, and Hegseth posted it himself the next day (see Hegseth Uses an Anti-Transgender Slur at an Iowa Fundraiser: 'At the Department of War, We Do Training, Not Trannies'). He told the troops “95% of our force recognizes an Almighty God” and “while we wage physical war, we all know the real battle is spiritual,” and announced six initiatives, among them a new Office of Religious Affairs and Project Meridian (see Hegseth Creates a Religious Affairs Office That Reports Only to Him and Can Fund Faith-Based Homeschooling for Military Families and Hegseth Puts Musk and Anduril's Palmer Luckey, Whose Companies Hold Billions in Pentagon Contracts, in Charge of a Study of Future Weapons Needs). The 20 percent cut in general officer positions announced in the same speech is in Hegseth Orders a 20 Percent Cut in General and Admiral Positions in the Middle of the Iran War, Calling It 'Accountability'.
Attendees received a 144-page “field manual” of Hegseth's speeches with a foreword in which Trump vows not to ask troops to “fight dumb Wars,” according to photos posted by ABC News reporter Steven Beynon, as reported by Raw Story and The Independent.