Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — whose title the Trump administration now styles as “Secretary of War” — delivered the U.S. Military Academy commencement address at West Point on May 23, 2026, to roughly 998 graduating cadets. Breaking with the long-standing convention that addresses at military academy graduations remain nonpartisan, Hegseth devoted much of his speech to attacking past Democratic administrations and to denouncing diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the armed forces.
“Diversity is not our strength,” Hegseth told the cadets, calling the prior Army slogan “our diversity is our strength” “the most embarrassing expression in recent Army history.” He framed his vision of the military around “meritocracy, lethality, accountability, readiness, and standards,” telling the class that “we're sending you to lead, we're sending you to forge warriors, and we are sending you, perhaps, to war, and you are ready.”
The Daily Beast headlined the speech “Pentagon Pete Hegseth Gives Bonkers Pep Talk to 'Not Fat' West Point Grads,” referencing his attacks on physical-standards backsliding. The departure from nonpartisan convention drew sharp criticism — Fox News viewers reportedly called Hegseth “incompetent” in their own network's comments — and joins a documented pattern of Hegseth using official military events for political messaging (see Hegseth Bans Military Recruiting at Elite Universities Over DEI Policies and Threatens to Cut ROTC Programs, Hegseth Carries a 'Deus Vult' Bible, Quotes Pulp Fiction as Scripture at the Pentagon, and 200+ Troops Report Religious Coercion, Hegseth Ordered Cuts to the Military's Generals and Admirals in May 2025, Amid a Wave of Firings of Senior Officers).