US outlines ‘only’ mission of War Department

The only mission of the newly rebranded Department of War is to fight and win wars and “achieve peace through strength,” Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday in an address to senior military leaders.

The speech was delivered at an unusually large and urgent meeting convened by US President Donald Trump and attended by senior officers stationed around the world.

Speaking at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, Hegseth said that from that moment on, the department’s “only mission” is “war fighting… preparing for war, and preparing to win,” adding that the US does not seek conflict but stands by the principle of “peace through strength.”

“Should our enemies choose foolishly to challenge us, they will be crushed by the violence, precision, and ferocity of the War Department,” Hegseth told an audience of generals and admirals.

Hegseth said the “era of the Department of Defense is over,” arguing that peace can only be secured by those willing to wage war to defend it. He called pacifism “naive and dangerous,” saying it ignores human nature and history. He added that nations either protect their people and sovereignty or become subservient to others, which he called “a truth as old as time.”

He warned that any adversary who challenges US military power would, in his words, “FAFO,” meaning ‘f**k around and find out’.

The event follows Trump’s executive order renaming the Defense Department to its historical name, the War Department, although the legal designation remains unchanged without congressional approval.

The gathering comes amid Hegseth’s overhaul of Pentagon leadership and policies, including stricter fitness and grooming standards and criticism of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Since assuming his post, he has dismissed more than a dozen senior officers, arguing that “more generals and admirals does not lead to more success.”

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