WASHINGTON — A fired-up Secretary of War Pete Hegseth unveiled plans to construct the first new military base on US soil in over four decades and have state governors come before him on camera with “their best sales pitch.” Hegseth unveiled plans for the new base as part of six new initiatives during his culture war-heavy “State of the Force” address to a gathering of many of the country’s enlisted military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced an upcoming beauty contest for states to get a new American base. REUTERS [snip] The new base would host an estimated 15,000 to 25,000 troops, according to Hegseth, an Army veteran, who also promised the troops would get “first-class” barracks. Governors and adjutant generals would make the pitch to Hegseth and his leadership team, livestreamed on camera for the country to see. President Trump might also participate in the selection process.Military personnel listened intently during Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s fiery address. Alex Wong/Pool Getty Images North America via AP [snip] “For too long, our military has been bogged down by the same old tired Washington playbook: spend trillions on exquisite weapon systems while our troops live in aging bases, outdated barracks,” the secretary of war said. “Now we’re getting after it with the barracks task force. But it’s not enough.” The Pentagon honcho rolled out five other major initiatives during his address and confirmed the department’s 20% reduction in general and flag officer positions. [snip] Third is the FORTRESS (Federal Operations for Resilience, Troop Resources, Energy, Supply, and Survivability) America initiative, in which the Pentagon will aim to make bases self-sufficient, with their own independent power supplies, and a strategic reserve of munitions and other critical supplies.The secretary of war trained with some of the troops before his “State of the Force.” X/@DOWResponse Fourth is a new Office of Religious Affairs led by a chaplain to ensure that chaplaincies and places of worship on bases across the country have sufficient resources. And last was Project Meridian, a commission that will be led by Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey, and Newt Gingrich to plan for the future of fighting. Hegseth’s austere address before most of the packed room of junior officers and enlisted leaders was chock-full of brags about his culture war triumphs at the Department of War. [snip] That’s a reference to his recent push for testosterone testing to ensure lethality. Hegseth also crowed about his reforms to impose “gender-neutral standards set at the highest male standard” for combat.Pete Hegseth also tore into the media and dove into culture war issues during his speech. Jeff Greenberg He also took a victory lap over the military’s performance in Iran, Venezuela, and elsewhere, before lashing out with rage at the media. [snip] “A free press is, of course, important, but partisan activism that intentionally smears the troops and the historic mission that they’re undertaking is fundamentally anti-American,” he later added. “It’s sick. It’s a national betrayal. It’s treason, actually.” (*) Full article: https://nypost.com/2026/09/30/us-news/pete-hegseth-unveils-plans-for-new-us-military-base-touts-testosterone-testing-for-warriors-in-pentagon-speech-no-wimps-no-radicals/ Post navigation N.Y. Congressional Candidate Pledges Salary to Wounded Vet USPS To Put Cameras in Trucks That Scan Roads for ‘Community Safety’
