Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made an impassioned plea for young Americans to join the military in a White House social media post over the holiday weekend.
“In every generation, you have to ask yourself the question, ‘If not me, then who’s it gonna be?’” Hegseth said. “My challenge to this generation is: Are you ready to step up? Are you ready to take the lead?”
Hegseth cited his own time in uniform and thanked generations of service members going back to the Revolutionary War. He said that recruitment slumped because during the Biden administration, “we were weak, we were woke, we were focused on other things” and that now the military is getting “back to basics” with a focus on the warfighter ethos.
Hegseth repeated claims that Trump’s re-election led to a recruitment surge, though many defense analysts say there are other contributing factors, including economic uncertainty, a relaxation of some admission standards and additional support to prep potential recruits who initially fall short of the standards.
White House video image
