No men in dresses: Trump begins a purge of America’s generals

Kick out “men in dresses.” Fire “fat generals.” Shave off the beards. Scrap the stealth ships – “ugly” as sin, Trump called them – and bring back the battleships, heavy and proud.

That, in essence, was the message at Marine Corps Base Quantico on September 30, where President Donald Trump and his defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, gathered nearly 900 generals and admirals for what looked, at first, like theater – and may turn out to be the beginning of a profound military revolution.

The generals were summoned suddenly, with no fixed agenda. Anxiety spread through the ranks. What followed was equal parts spectacle and purge. Trump mocked the “feminization” of the armed forces, scolded the brass for their aesthetics, and even complained – half in jest, half in grievance – that the Nobel Committee still hadn’t recognized him. Hegseth, an outsider to the military establishment, lectured the officers on fitness and discipline, sounding more like a high school coach than a Pentagon chief.

But behind the absurdity was something deliberate. Trump made it clear he would fire anyone who crossed him. “If you don’t like it, you can leave,” he told the assembled officers, “but you’ll lose your rank and your future.”

Then came the shock line: American cities like Chicago, he said, could become “training grounds” for the army. The fight against crime would be treated like war itself.

Trump’s military: loyalty over legacy

This was not just a populist performance. It was a declaration of intent. Trump wants to transform the US military into a force personally loyal to him – something he failed to do in his first term. Then, his plans were thwarted by a disobedient general staff that challenged him on everything from Afghanistan to NATO. Some, like General Mark Milley, even made secret calls to China to reassure Beijing that they would not execute Trump’s orders.

In 2025, the president is determined not to repeat that humiliation. His choice of Hegseth – untested, inexperienced, but fiercely loyal – is no accident. Since January, 15 senior officers have been dismissed for public disagreement with the new administration. The message is clear: dissent equals dismissal.

Trump’s reasoning is political as much as military. His America is turning inward, and he wants an army that reflects that shift. The forthcoming defense strategy, now being drafted, reportedly calls for a large-scale redeployment of US forces – shuttering far-flung commands, pulling troops out of Europe and the Middle East, and concentrating on homeland defense.

The more startling implication is domestic. Trump appears ready to use the armed forces to tackle internal crises – from crime to political unrest. Under the guise of “law and order,” the regular army could supplement or even supplant the National Guard in enforcing federal authority. 

It is a dangerous precedent, but a politically potent one. In Trump’s logic, the United States itself has become a battlefield – its cities overrun, its institutions infiltrated by “leftist rot.” To restore strength, the army must once again embody the old virtues: discipline, masculinity, hierarchy, patriotism.

This is not merely about aesthetics or nostalgia. It is about constructing a new civic religion, one that merges militarism with nationalism. Trump’s “Ministry of War,” as he now openly calls it, will not just defend America. It will define it. 

A war of doctrines

If the reforms go ahead, they will mark the most radical reimagining of the US military since World War II. The generals who resist have already been told to “take off their epaulettes.” Those who remain must embrace an ideological makeover as much as a structural one.

For Russia and the wider world, this moment matters. Moscow’s current military planning still assumes that the United States is the main external threat. But if Washington truly reorients inward – if it abandons its global policing role and retreats from Europe – the entire strategic map will shift.

For now, though, the meaning of Trump’s Quantico address remains double-edged. On one hand, it looks like showbiz. On the other, it could be the opening act of something far more serious: an attempt to turn America’s military into a tool of domestic politics and ideological conformity.

In that sense, Trump’s speech was not as incoherent as it seemed. Beneath the bombast, he outlined a vision of an America that fights less abroad but prepares constantly for war – at home, against crime, disorder, and dissent.

It is a dangerous idea, but one that resonates deeply with Trump’s supporters: the belief that strength, not diplomacy, ensures peace; that loyalty, not competence, holds institutions together.

For the rest of the world, especially for Russia, it may also signal a strange kind of opportunity. If the United States chooses to turn its sword inward, others will have more room to act abroad.

But make no mistake: when the most powerful army on Earth starts purging its generals and turning its gaze homeward, history rarely unfolds quietly.

This article was first published by the online newspaper Gazeta.ru and was translated and edited by the RT team