Another boat carrying suspected drug runners and their payload was blown to smithereens on Friday morning, under orders from President Donald Trump.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth posted a video of the strike against the suspected &#8220;narco-terrorists,&#8221; saying that U.S. intelligence &#8220;without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics.&#8221; It marks the fourth strike ordered by the president against suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea.
&#8220;Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the strike, and no U.S. forces were harmed in the operation. The strike was conducted in international waters just off the coast of Venezuela while the vessel was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics &#8211; headed to America to poison our people,&#8221; said Hegseth. &#8220;Our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a known narco-trafficking transit route. These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over!!!!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Earlier this morning, on President Trump&#8217;s orders, I directed a lethal, kinetic strike on a narco-trafficking vessel affiliated with Designated Terrorist Organizations in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility. Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the… <a href="https://t.co/QpNPljFcGn">pic.twitter.com/QpNPljFcGn</a>
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar/status/1974150886084485503?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The president <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-deploys-forces-to-take-on-latin-american-drug-cartels-in-the-southern-caribbean">deployed</a> troops and military assets to the South Caribbean in August to take on “threats to U.S. national security from specially designated narco-terrorist organizations in the region.” U.S. forces have now killed 21 suspected drug runners in four strikes against suspected &#8220;narco-terrorists.&#8221;
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_campaign=fall40&amp;utm_content=fallsale&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get 40% off new DailyWire+ annual memberships with code FALL40 at checkout</a>
The Trump administration told Congress earlier this week that the president has decided the United States is in an &#8220;armed conflict&#8221; with drug cartels and that his actions are in self-defense, as Democrats condemn the strikes. A White House spokeswoman <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/us/politics/trump-drug-cartels-war.html?smid=tw-share">told</a> The New York Times that “the president acted in line with the law of armed conflict to protect our country from those trying to bring deadly poison to our shores, and he is delivering on his promise to take on the cartels and eliminate these national security threats from murdering more Americans.”
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has also condemned the U.S. action off his country&#8217;s coast, calling the strikes “a military attack on civilians who were not at war and were not militarily threatening any country.” He also accused the Trump administration of &#8220;seeking a regime change&#8221; in Venezuela. Maduro has a $50 million bounty on his head, which was placed by the U.S. government, citing his alleged ties to transnational gangs and drug cartels.

U.S. government – Unclassified

U.S. Takes Out Another Boat In Caribbean, Killing Four Suspected ‘Narco-Terrorists’

Donald Trump

Drug Cartels

Global Politics

Pete Hegseth

U.S. Military

Venezuela

World

When Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told a room filled with top military leaders that it was time to raise their standards, “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin was “befuddled,” as she said later.
All across the country, conservatives and other normies were thrilled to finally imagine our military adhering to the standards that make us the most formidable and respected superpower in the world.
Hegseth said combat troops will be held to “the highest male standard.”
“This job is life or death,” he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/we-are-done-with-that-sht-trump-hegseth-demand-excellence-from-military-brass">emphasized</a>. “Standards must be met … it’s common sense and core to who we are and what we do.”
But liberals, they don’t understand that concept. Rather than seeing Hegseth’s speech as a call to excellence, Hostin assumed the speech indicated some sort of punishment.
“I don’t understand how that was supposed to be an uplifting message for our military,” she <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-view-hosts-cant-deduce-why-military-leaders-might-need-to-be-in-top-physical-shape">said</a> on “The View.”
That reaction says it all. Progressives and conservatives aren’t just on different sides of the political spectrum. They’re often speaking entirely different languages.
For Hostin, a word like “uplifting” means constant affirmation. It means telling people they’re perfect just as they are, just like it means telling men that they can become women and that losers are really winners.
Conservatives, on the other hand, understand that real encouragement isn’t about coddling feelings. It’s about calling people to something greater. To truly uplift someone is to tell them they are capable of raising higher, getting better, and being stronger. Challenge isn’t a dirty word; it’s a call to action.
* * * 
At Jeremy’s Razors, we believe in high standards—not just for our blades, but for the men who use them. Shaving isn’t a chore; it’s the first standard you set for yourself every morning. Too many men have been told to settle for weak razors and weaker expectations. That’s not uplifting—it’s lowering the bar.
Jeremy’s Razors were built to demand more: a sharper edge, a cleaner shave, and a reminder that excellence starts at the mirror. Because the man who holds himself to high standards doesn’t cut corners—he cuts clean.
Right now, you can raise your standard for just $7.99 with our Precision 5 Special Offer. Step up to the best woke-free shave at<a href="https://jeremysrazors.com/collections/legend/products/precision-5-special-offer"> jeremysrazors.com</a>.
Sunny Hostin may never understand that. But conservatives do. Because deep down, we know that greatness comes from expecting more—of our leaders, our country, and even our shave.
Jeremy&#8217;s Razors shares common ownership with The Daily Wire.

Pete Hegseth Demands Excellence. ‘The View’ Misses The Point.

Jeremy's Razors

Sunny Hostin

The View

The Secretary of War and the President of the United States spoke before hundreds of top U.S. military leaders on Tuesday.
This event had been touted for a few days in advance. The idea was to have all the top U.S. military brass gather at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia. 
There was a lot of speculation about the meeting. Was it going to be an announcement about Ukraine? Or China? Or was it going to be about Venezuela?
It turns out, it was going to be a speech from Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of War, and a speech from the President of the United States, about recalibrating our military approach, particularly internally.
Pete Hegseth has spoken about this a lot over the past few years. I recorded an episode of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhVMY0AxZd0">Sunday Special</a> with Pete Hegseth about a year ago. He had a new book out, “The War on Warriors,” in which he wrote about wokeness in the military, lowered standards in the military, and the fact that more militaries around the world were not fearing us as much because we had implemented all of these left-wing ideologies within the military. This has legitimately been a big bugaboo of Hegseth’s for years.
Well, now he has the opportunity to change all of that because, of course, he sits atop the Department of War.
The event, according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/09/30/hegseth-military-meeting-trump-generals/">The Washington Post</a>, was organized by Hegseth&#8217;s team at the Pentagon. He summoned generals and admirals from command posts throughout the world to Virginia.
General Dan Caine, Trump&#8217;s hand-selected Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told attendees in his opening comments that the event was an unprecedented opportunity, and an honor for assembled senior officers and their top enlisted advisers to hear directly from the military civilian leadership. 
Hegseth was going after wokeness in the military again, and he railed against what he called “Fat dudes and men in dresses.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2290-warfighters-hegseth-trump-launch-assault-on-woke-military"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-974957 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
So, optically, yes, I understand the Left being very, very upset about it. But it happens to be something that the American people agree with, along with the people who enlist in our military. Journalists around the nation are very, very upset about what Pete Hegseth did yesterday because they believe the military should be a place for social engineering, as opposed to a place for warfighters.
Well, Secretary Hegseth was a grunt. He&#8217;s a person who served in the trenches, and on the front lines. And that means he is significantly more in touch with the feelings of people who actually serve in the military, than certainly the people in the world of journalism — and truthfully, more than many of these sorts of political generals who have spent the last 40 years rising in the ranks.
Which means that recalibrating along those lines is actually not a bad thing at all.
As Secretary Hegseth <a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/public-affairs-event/defense-secretary-hegseth-addresses-senior-military-leaders/666410">said yesterday</a>:
<blockquote>Frankly, it&#8217;s tiring to look out at combat formations, or really any formation, and see fat troops. Likewise, it&#8217;s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon and leading commands around the country and the world. It&#8217;s a bad look. It is bad. And it&#8217;s not who we are. So, whether you&#8217;re an Airborne Ranger or a “Chairborne Ranger,” a brand new private, or a four star general, you need to meet the height and weight standards and pass the PT test.</blockquote>
This, apparently, was very upsetting to folks. 
He also went after what he called “Dudes in dresses,” which was a specific reference to the fact that under the Biden administration, there were legitimate videos of troops doing drag as an attempt to drive people into the military. I can&#8217;t think of anything that would drive the types of young men who want to join the military away from the military more than men in drag.
Honestly, that does not seem like a recruiting pitch for the U.S. military. And you can see it in the numbers. The Biden administration was having a very, very difficult time fulfilling its recruiting quotas. From literally the minute Pete Hegseth was announced as Secretary of Defense, those numbers began to rise.
Hegseth then <a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/public-affairs-event/defense-secretary-hegseth-addresses-senior-military-leaders/666410">said</a>: 
<blockquote>This administration has done a great deal from day one to remove the social justice, politically correct, and toxic ideological garbage that had infected our department, to rip out the politics. No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses, no more climate change worship. No more division, distraction, or gender delusions. No more debris. As I&#8217;ve said before and will say again, we are done with that sh**.</blockquote>
People are apparently angry about this. And there&#8217;s also a fair bit of gaslighting going on here. 
So the way that this works is that when the Left takes over an institution, they skew that institution. And then, when somebody who is not on the Left takes over the institution and says, “We&#8217;re going to unskew it,” the Left then says, “How dare you do this? How dare you politicize?”
They do this with so many institutions in American life. For example, take higher education, a domain once designed to actually create better American citizens, people who are supposed to be in touch with their civilization. They took an institution that was supposed to be at least titularly nonpartisan and made it highly partisan in favor of the Left.
And then people get into power who are not on the Left. And they say, &#8220;Let&#8217;s shift it back. Let&#8217;s shift it back toward the center.&#8221; And the Left says, “How dare you touch our hallowed institutions? How dare you attempt to change the underlying politics of that institution?”
The same thing in the military. There is an attempt by the Left to hijack the military and use it for a wide variety of social engineering causes, ranging from climate change to DEI to gender identity.
And now, when the Right takes over and says, “Hey, we&#8217;re not going to do any of that stuff, we&#8217;re actually going to go back to the status quo where the military was about winning wars,” the Left responds, “How dare you? How dare you politicize? How dare you intervene? How dare you get involved in politics?” This is an exercise in gaslighting.
The Left is perfectly willing to gut these institutions and wear their faces around like a mask from “The Silence of the Lambs.” But the minute the Right says, “Let&#8217;s restore those institutions to what they were before,” the Left then claims politicization.
It’s nonsense.

President Trump And Pete Hegseth Address U.S. Senior Military Leaders At Quantico

Hegseth To Top Military Brass: No More Dudes In Dresses

American General

Department of War

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Opinion

Pentagon

Transgender

Washington D.C.

Woke Culture

The government has shut down, President Donald Trump has inked a historic deal with Pfizer, and Hamas has been given a deadline to agree with Trump&#8217;s Gaza peace deal.
It’s Wednesday, October 1, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Budget Battle And Trump&#8217;s Speech To Military Brass</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-979287" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Federal-Government-Shuttered-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Federal-Government-Shuttered-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Federal-Government-Shuttered-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Federal-Government-Shuttered-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Federal-Government-Shuttered-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Federal-Government-Shuttered.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: A busy day for lawmakers on Tuesday as the time ticked away for a government shutdown – while President Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth held an unprecedented event attended by the U.S. military’s top commanders. 
Washington’s shutdown showdown: Lawmakers haggled until the last moment on funding for the federal government, but were unsuccessful. About a day ahead of the deadline, The New York Times and Siena College released a poll that had some worrying signs for Democrats. According to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/polls/trump-approval-poll.html">poll</a>, two-thirds of Americans say that Democrats should not force a government shutdown. 
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) later called the poll “biased,” drawing a laugh from assembled senators.
President Trump attempted to bring Democrats to the table on Tuesday by reminding them that during a shutdown, he has considerable authority to reshape the government. “The last person who wants it shut down is us. Now, with that being said, we can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them and irreversible by them, like cutting vast numbers of people out and cutting programs that they like,” <a href="https://x.com/cspan/status/1973069236995035285">said</a> Trump.
Schumer <a href="https://youtu.be/CmrOihzVDo8?t=43">interpreted</a> the threat as Trump owning the shutdown: “Democrats do not want a shutdown. We stand ready to work with Republicans to find a bipartisan compromise. The ball is in their court. When he says he will do things, he is taking ownership.”
Over in Quantico: Trump and Hegseth delivered two speeches to essentially every top commander in the U.S. military. The speeches lasted approximately two and a half hours.
The War Secretary reiterated the priorities he has often pushed as the head of the military: cutting social engineering and restoring what he calls the warrior ethos. 
“No more identity months. DEI offices, dudes in dresses. No more climate change worship. No more division, distraction, or gender delusions. No more debris, as I&#8217;ve said before, and we&#8217;ll say again. We are done with that s***,” <a href="https://youtu.be/YSkNiVVTm-Y?t=1216">said</a> Hegseth.
To build the military into what he said it should be, Hegseth offered a test to each military leader: Would you allow your own child to serve in the military as it’s currently structured? Unless the answer is an unqualified yes, then there are more changes to be made.
“This means at the War Department, first and foremost, we must restore a ruthless, dispassionate, and common-sense application of standards,” <a href="https://youtu.be/YSkNiVVTm-Y?t=1381">said</a> Hegseth. “I don&#8217;t want my son serving alongside troops who are outta shape or in combat unit with females who can&#8217;t meet the same combat arms, physical standards as men.”
Trump: The president’s speech was more like a military-focused campaign speech. He touted how, under his administration, the military has crushed recruitment goals and how the United States is leading China and Russia in military advances.
“My message to you is very simple. I am with you. I support you. And as president, I have your backs 100%. You’ll never see me waver even a little bit. That’s the way it is,” Trump <a href="https://youtu.be/YSkNiVVTm-Y?t=5312">told</a> assembled commanders.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">TrumpRX: The One-Stop-Shop For Cheap Drugs</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-979289" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Trump-Pfizer-Team-Up-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Trump-Pfizer-Team-Up-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Trump-Pfizer-Team-Up-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Trump-Pfizer-Team-Up-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Trump-Pfizer-Team-Up-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Trump-Pfizer-Team-Up.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: President Trump has promised a new era of lower drug prices for Americans with the launch of TrumpRX and a historic deal with Pfizer.
TrumpRX is going to be a new government website that will allow Americans to purchase medications directly at discounted prices. The site will feature reductions of up to 85% of the net price.
Pfizer: Pfizer is one of the largest pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporations in the world. It has agreed to set all their medications for Medicaid at “most favored nation” pricing, or pricing that is comparable to or less than the cost of other developed nations’ drug prices. Additionally, all new Pfizer medications will be offered at these lower prices.
Pfizer will also invest $70 billion in research and development, as well as United States manufacturing, by 2030. Trump has long said that he wants drugs made in the United States to bring back jobs, but also for national security.
More to come?: Trump indicated on Monday that more deals are coming, and he is offering incentives to boost that participation. However, if a company refuses to comply, he said he will use tariffs and other mechanisms to obtain lower drug prices for Americans.
“Eli Lilly has been fantastic,” <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&amp;v=2284710728656259">said</a> Trump. “We&#8217;re making deals with all of them. And I said if we don&#8217;t make a deal, then we&#8217;re going to tariff them an extra five, six, seven, eight percent. … Nobody wants to play that game.”
Step back: Americans pay, on average, about 422% more for brand-name drugs than other comparable nations. Trump said months ago that this is a form of “global freeloading,” where Americans underwrite all research and development costs that turn out most medical advances that benefit the world. He launched these “most favored nation” policies so R&amp;D costs are distributed to other developed nations, as well – nations like France, Germany, and the U.K.
The goal is that this will lower drug prices for Americans, while these companies maintain their margins, and therefore, R&amp;D funding and medical advances do not suffer.
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump Puts Hamas On The Clock </h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-979291" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Hamas-On-The-Clock-300x169.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Hamas-On-The-Clock-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Hamas-On-The-Clock-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Hamas-On-The-Clock-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Hamas-On-The-Clock-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Hamas-On-The-Clock.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Topline: President Trump presented what could be a game-changing Gaza peace deal this week, which has won support from Israel as well as many Arab leaders. Now, Trump has given Hamas a deadline to get on board or face a “very sad end.”
Expert opines: Victoria Coates, the vice president of The Heritage Foundation’s Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy, on the president’s 20-point plan for peace in the Middle East: “The key clause is probably the first one, which says that Hamas has to disarm and agree to this plan. But unlike the ‘Peace to Prosperity Plan’ that the president unveiled with Prime Minister Netanyahu in January of 2020, this one is being overtly and aggressively supported by partners in the Middle East. We have countries like Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, UAE, but also large Muslim majority countries like Pakistan, Indonesia, putting out statements saying, ‘yes, this is the way, this is the plan, this is a good faith effort.’ And so it all comes down to Hamas. Israel has accepted, the rest of the region has accepted, and the question is whether Hamas will accept.”
Coates on the Palestinian Authority’s stance on the plan: “[Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas] came out and said he was happy that this had happened, that he wanted to look at it, but that he thought it was a productive step. That is 180 degrees from where he was five years ago. … There is very strong reforms for the Palestinian Authority in there that they have to undertake before they get any kind of governing responsibility in Gaza. So, they&#8217;re going to have a lot of work in front of them, as well. And for him to be hopeful about it suggests that, maybe more broadly among the Palestinian people, there is support for this kind of resolution.”
Coates on Hamas’ willingness to accept: “It all depends on what condition Hamas finds itself in today. If they are really down to their last fighters, if they are out of rockets … they may be looking for survival. This does give them that path. It says that if you wish to disarm and embrace a life of amnesty, that you can stay. And if you wish to leave, you will be given safe passage to third countries. They may see this as their last ticket out.”
Coates on how the deal will be enforced: “There are going to be benchmarks Hamas has to meet repeatedly throughout this process or else Israel goes right back in. The president expressed full-throated support for Israel&#8217;s right if Hamas does not keep their side of the bargain to do what they have to do to secure the strip. Now, that&#8217;s not going to be pretty. Prime Minister Netanyahu called it ‘the hard way.’ He said he would much rather do it the easy way. I think we all would – especially for the Palestinians living there – this is the way for them to get to a more secure and prosperous future. President Trump believes in that. He wants it to happen. And he&#8217;s the one who can lead the way there.”

MRN 10.1.25 Thumbnail V1

Morning Brief: Government Shuts Down, TrumpRX, & Hamas On The Clock

Chuck Schumer

Hamas

Israel

Media

Middle East

Morning Wire

Pfizer

Politics

The hosts of ABC’s “The View” appeared baffled as to why the leaders of the United States military might need to be in peak physical condition, and spent much of Tuesday’s broadcast complaining that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was demanding physical fitness from his troops.
The cohosts were responding to the unprecedented meeting held in Quantico on Tuesday morning, during which Hegseth spoke directly to hundreds of the military’s top brass — all of whom had been directed to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/president-trump-will-attend-militarys-unprecedented-all-hands-meeting">attend that meeting</a> in person.
Complaining that Hegseth’s remarks described a “very retro vision for our armed forces,” cohost Joy Behar demanded to know why Hegseth was “obsessed with fat?”
“And fitness?” cohost Sunny Hostin added.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Faux conservative Alyssa Farah Griffin is confused why Hegseth and Republicans want the US military be physically fit and ready to go to war if the need was required: 
&#8220;I&#8217;m very lost on the fact that it seems like it&#8217;s become a Republican Party position out of nowhere that the… <a href="https://t.co/Rx4WlJY5zB">pic.twitter.com/Rx4WlJY5zB</a>
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/1973044316789445090?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Cohost Alyssa Farah Griffin suggested that the changes weren’t needed because the military was already in great shape — despite data indicating that more than two-thirds of current active military members are considered overweight, and 22% are considered “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fit-not-fat-pete-hegseth-promises-standard-overhaul-after-unacceptable-troop-fitness-report">obese.</a>”
“I’m very lost on the fact that it seems like it’s become a Republican Party position out of nowhere that the U.S. Military is weak. We’re the greatest fighting force in the history of mankind,” she claimed.
Griffin later suggested that Hegseth was critical of generals like former Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley because he wanted to make himself feel better about his own service.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Behar delves into conspiracy theories by suggesting there&#8217;s an &#8220;ulterior motive for all their crazy stuff.&#8221; 
Sara Haines answers by falsely suggesting recruitment numbers are down for the military. She also claims the meeting is putting the United States in jeopardy. She whines… <a href="https://t.co/kVP1alGITg">pic.twitter.com/kVP1alGITg</a>
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/1973047385321292101?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Cohost Sara Haines claimed there was a “recruiting lull” despite record-breaking recruitment numbers coming from every branch of service, and then complained that the security of the military was at risk because the meeting was held in person. She also whined about the cost of bringing them in for the meeting, and then complained that they’d done it just to tell the generals to shave and go back to “hazing” trainees.
Hostin was “befuddled” by the move to “toughen physical standards” and complained about Hegseth’s plan to reinstate higher standards.
“I don’t understand how that was supposed to be an uplifting message for our military,” she said.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Joy Behar spew inciting rhetoric by claiming America will not survive Trump: 
&#8220;If you guys think we can survive another 3 1/2 years of this, I think you&#8217;re delusional. Every day there&#8217;s some nihilist thing&#8230; very day this guy is undoing something in this country that we value.… <a href="https://t.co/S0PtNHFPjh">pic.twitter.com/S0PtNHFPjh</a>
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickFondacaro/status/1973052155641692490?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Behar pivoted back to Trump, adding, “If you guys think we can survive another 3 1/2 years of this, I think you’re delusional &#8230; every day this guy is undoing something in this country that we value.”
During his remarks, Hegseth declared that all military members — from new privates to four-star generals – would be expected to meet the prescribed height and weight standards and pass physical training (PT) tests on a regular basis. He also stated that “fat troops” in formations and “fat generals at the Pentagon” were a thing of the past and would no longer be tolerated: “It’s a bad look.”

ABC’s “The View” – Season 25

‘The View’ Hosts Can’t Deduce Why Military Leaders Might Need To Be In Top Physical Shape

'The View' Hosts Can't Deduce Why Military Leaders Might Need To Be In Top Physical Shape

Alyssa Farah Griffin

Joy Behar

QUANTICO — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth looked into the eyes of hundreds of his top military leaders on Tuesday as he shared his new directives for the War Department — including the news that every military branch will ensure that requirements for combat positions return to &#8220;the highest male standard.&#8221;
&#8220;This job is life or death,&#8221; he emphasized. &#8220;Standards must be met &#8230; it&#8217;s common sense and core to who we are and what we do.&#8221;
The Secretary of War addressed a room filled with United States military leaders from around the world, while legacy media outlets fretted over the &#8220;unprecedented&#8221; gathering.
Hegseth&#8217;s remarks came shortly before the President of the United States arrived at the heavily guarded Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia. Trump&#8217;s arrival and remarks stood out as a strong show of support for the War Department&#8217;s changes, and both men conveyed a similar message to the assembled military brass: the Department of War&#8217;s mission is combat — &#8220;preparing for war and preparing to win.&#8221;
&#8220;We must be so strong that no nation will dare challenge us, so powerful that no enemy will dare threaten us, and so capable that no adversary can even think about beating us,&#8221; the president said Tuesday.
The Secretary of War was very clear as he spoke to the assembled military brass, striding up and down the stage in front of a massive American flag rather than standing behind the podium. The Daily Wire observed many of these U.S. military leaders taking notes during both Trump&#8217;s and Hegseth&#8217;s remarks.
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No longer will the War Department tolerate ideological standards or quotas or punish leaders for supposed &#8220;toxic&#8221; attitudes, Hegseth said. No more &#8220;identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses,&#8221; nor will it tolerate leadership that is not aligned with the War Department&#8217;s mission, he noted, pointing out to those present that he had fired some military leaders.
The ideology and lowered standards implemented during President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration are over, both Trump and Hegseth said.
&#8220;We&#8217;re done with that shit,&#8221; Hegseth said.
&#8220;Now we’re back,&#8221; promised Trump. &#8220;That’s it. We’re not gonna have any of that crap happen, I can tell you.”
<div id="attachment_978615" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/we-are-done-with-that-sht-trump-hegseth-demand-excellence-from-military-brass/president-trump-and-pete-hegseth-address-u-s-senior-military-leaders-at-quantico-2" rel="attachment wp-att-978615"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-978615" class="wp-image-978615 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2238296560-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2238296560-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2238296560-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2238296560-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2238296560.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaks to senior military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico on September 30, 2025, in Quantico, Virginia. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)</div>
Hegseth repeatedly mentioned his concerns about lowered standards in the United States military, particularly when it comes to fitness and grooming, sharing that at his direction on Tuesday, every member of the Joint Force at every rank will be required to take a biannual PT test and to meet height and weight requirements for &#8220;every year of service.&#8221;
He even went so far as to call out leadership themselves on this issue: &#8220;It&#8217;s unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon, and leading all around the world. It&#8217;s a bad look, and it&#8217;s not who we are!&#8221;
&#8220;The best way to take care of troops is to give them good leaders committed to the war-fighting culture of the department,&#8221; he argued. &#8220;Not perfect leaders, but good leaders. Competent, qualified, professional, agile, aggressive, innovative, risk-taking, apolitical, faithful to their oath and the Constitution.&#8221;
He specifically noted that the fitness changes are not being made in order to weed women out of the armed forces.
“If women can make it, excellent,&#8221; he said. &#8220;If not, it is what it is&#8230;It will also mean that weak men won&#8217;t qualify, because we&#8217;re not playing games. This is combat. This is life or death.”
<div id="attachment_978631" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/we-are-done-with-that-sht-trump-hegseth-demand-excellence-from-military-brass/president-trump-and-pete-hegseth-address-u-s-senior-military-leaders-at-quantico-4" rel="attachment wp-att-978631"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-978631" class="wp-image-978631 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2238302943-865x576.jpg" alt="" width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2238302943-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2238302943-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2238302943-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2238302943.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" /></a>U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to senior military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico on September 30, 2025, in Quantico, Virginia.  (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)</div>
The War Secretary told the military brass: “If the words I’m saying today are making your heart sink, then you should do the honorable thing and resign.&#8221; But he suggested that many of them might be very enthused, very excited about the changes, eager to steer the Department of War back towards its original mission.
Both Trump and Hegseth were emphatic in their praise of the United States military and their hopes for the future. Trump told the gathered U.S. military leaders that the United States has &#8220;the greatest and most elite fighting force in the history of the world,&#8221; and he repeatedly touted the prowess and prestige of the military brass before him.
&#8220;In this effort, we&#8217;re a team and so my message to you today is simple: I am with you, I support you and, as president, I have your backs 100%,&#8221; the president said. &#8220;You&#8217;ll never see me waver a little bit&#8230; We are going to make our military stronger, tougher, faster, fiercer, and more powerful than it has ever been before.&#8221;
&#8220;There could be no higher honor than to serve as your Commander-in-Chief,&#8221; Trump promised. &#8220;To each and every one of you, I thank you for your unwavering devotion to the Armed Forces and the country we&#8217;ve all sworn a sacred oath to defend.&#8221;

‘We Are Done With That Sh*t’: Trump, Hegseth Demand Excellence From Military Brass

Department of Defense

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has traveled to visit soldiers twice as often as his predecessor had at this point in her tenure, a signal of the Trump administration’s different approach to the military.
In the seven months since he was confirmed, Driscoll has visited 44 different locations, spending around 64 days out of the office. By comparison, Biden’s Army Secretary, Christine Wormuth, visited just 21 locations over 31 days [out of the office] at this point in her tenure.
“One of my top priorities as secretary is getting outside the building and meeting with soldiers,” Driscoll told The Daily Wire. “Transformation doesn’t happen from behind desks at the Pentagon; it’s happening out in the field.”
“Since becoming secretary, I’ve met with soldiers stationed across this nation and deployed around the globe,” Driscoll said. “I’ve asked these men and women to give me their unfiltered views on what the Army needs to do to improve quality of life, their thoughts on our newest weapon systems, and their ideas to make our Army more lethal.”
“Every soldier I’ve met is inquisitive, innovative, and resourceful – these men and women are the very best of our nation, and I want them to know that I have their backs,” he added.
An Army official told The Daily Wire that Driscoll has made taking care of soldiers his top priority, and that the secretary believes the most effective way to do so is to meet them in person. For this reason, he plans to spend a considerable amount of time on the road for the foreseeable future.
At his current rate, Driscoll is on track to outpace Wormuth, who traveled to 115 locations in total throughout her entire four-year tenure.
“Secretary Driscoll has shot our current and future weapon systems. He’s flown in Blackhawks, Chinooks, Apaches, fired tanks and Bradleys, rappelled from aircraft, done Physical Training (PT) with nearly every unit he’s visited, flown drones, driven in the ISV, visited soldiers on the southern border twice, and traveled to the Middle East, Europe, and the Indo-Pacific,” an Army official told The Daily Wire.
“He has prioritized learning directly from those who will fight and win our nation’s wars and carrying their message to America’s capital.”
Driscoll’s commitment to interacting with soldiers aligns with the Trump administration’s hands-on approach to the armed services. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth regularly joins soldiers for workouts while traveling around the world, notably <a href="https://www.war.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/4210511/hegseth-commemorates-81st-anniversary-of-d-day-in-france/">jogging with troops</a> on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, during a visit commemorating the 81st anniversary of D-Day.
Under Driscoll and Hegseth, the Army met its 2025 recruiting goals four months ahead of schedule, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/less-woke-more-lethal-military-hits-major-milestones-under-trump-and-hegseth">reported</a> in June.

U.S. President Donald Trump Holds Press Conference August 11, 2025

Trump’s Army Secretary Is Spending Twice As Much Time With Troops As His Predecessor

Trump's Army Secretary Is Spending Twice As Much Time With Troops As His Predecessor

Military

U.S. Army

President Donald Trump plans to attend Tuesday&#8217;s unprecedented meeting — which will see the top military brass from all around the world gathered together in Quantico, Virginia — and despite the swirling rumors, he says the meeting is supposed to be a positive one for all involved.
Trump told NBC News of his plans over the weekend, saying that the meeting&#8217;s agenda would include discussions about the great things that have been happening within the military since War Secretary Pete Hegseth took over and how the department was being reshaped — and renamed — going forward.
&#8220;It’s really just a very nice meeting talking about how well we’re doing militarily, talking about being in great shape, talking about a lot of good, positive things. It’s just a good message,&#8221; Trump told the outlet. &#8220;We have some great people coming in, and it’s just an ‘esprit de corps.’ You know the expression ‘esprit de corps’? That’s all it’s about. We’re talking about what we’re doing, what they’re doing, and how we’re doing.&#8221;
Logistics for such a meeting — particularly security for so many within the military&#8217;s senior leadership structure — were already complex, but with the addition of President Trump, Secret Service must also be involved in pulling it off.
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When the meeting was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/secretary-of-war-pete-hegseth-to-convene-military-brass-at-virginia-summit">first announced</a>, rumors immediately began to fly as to its purpose, with a number suggesting that the top generals and admirals were being called to the same place so that Hegseth could fire the lot of them en masse.
Many cited Hegseth&#8217;s own words, noting that he had long planned to review and reduce the number of generals serving on active duty, calling his plan a &#8220;Less Generals More GIs Policy.&#8221; GI, a slang term for an enlisted soldier, stands for &#8220;Government Issue.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Introducing the “Less Generals More GIs Policy.” <a href="https://t.co/bQLRL2MqSC">pic.twitter.com/bQLRL2MqSC</a>
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar/status/1919499390370066650?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The plan, according to Hegseth, was to reduce the number of generals and admirals by 20% — and then implement a second phase of the plan that removed a further 10% of generals and flag officers, to include admirals and rear admirals as well.

NETHERLANDS-NATO-SUMMIT-DEFENCE-DIPLOMACY-US

President Trump Will Attend Military’s Unprecedented All-Hands Meeting

President Trump Will Attend Military's Unprecedented All-Hands Meeting

President Donald Trump on Saturday morning said he was authorizing Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to &#8220;provide all necessary troops&#8221; to protect Portland and any U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities under attack by far-Left Antifa and other domestic terrorists.
Trump noted that the request came from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and that he&#8217;s authorizing &#8220;full force, if necessary.&#8221;
&#8220;At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists,&#8221; the president posted to Truth Social.
&#8220;I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary,&#8221; he added. &#8220;Thank you for your attention to this matter!&#8221;
<div id="attachment_977807" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-977807" class="wp-image-977807 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-27-at-1.20.06-PM-1024x369.png" alt="" width="1024" height="369" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-27-at-1.20.06-PM-1024x369.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-27-at-1.20.06-PM-300x108.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-27-at-1.20.06-PM-768x277.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/Screenshot-2025-09-27-at-1.20.06-PM.png 1432w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />President Trump: Truth Social</div>
An ICE facility in Portland has become a <a href="https://www.opb.org/article/2025/09/27/trump-send-troops-portland/#:~:text=The%20ICE%20facility%20in%20Portland,“professional%20agitators%20and%20anarchists.”">target</a> of violent leftist protesters, some of whom have been charged with assault. There have been violent clashes with authorities and federal agents have been injured. Moreover, earlier this month, protesters erected a guillotine outside the facility, which Secretary Noem called “unhinged behavior.”
Trump said earlier this week that what&#8217;s been going on in Portland is largely due to “professional agitators and anarchists.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NOW — Antifa militants roll out a guillotine outside the ICE facility in Portland.
A flag has been set on fire. Hundreds of protesters are holding the line, equipped with riot gear and shields. <a href="https://t.co/qwPOjWaV2a">pic.twitter.com/qwPOjWaV2a</a>
— Katie Daviscourt 📸 (@KatieDaviscourt) <a href="https://twitter.com/KatieDaviscourt/status/1962749598998634549?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 2, 2025</a></blockquote>
This past week, a man shot indiscriminately into an ICE facility in Dallas, Texas, killing one illegal immigrant and harming two others. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tragic-irony-federal-officials-say-dallas-shooter-wanted-to-kill-ice-agents-not-detainees?author=Jennie+Taer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98Tragic+Irony%E2%80%99%3A+Federal+Officials+Say+Dallas+Shooter+Wanted+To+Kill+ICE+Agents%2C+Not+Detainees">According</a> to authorities, the suspect, who took his own life, intended to inflict &#8220;terror&#8221; on ICE agents.
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ICE agents have increasingly become targets of left-wing attacks and doxxing efforts. Assaults on agents have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/reprehensible-assaults-on-ice-agents-skyrocket-up-830-over-last-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">jumped 830%</a> compared to a year ago. Due to this threat, some agents have resorted to covering their faces when they make arrests.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, however, recently signed a law banning ICE agents from masking. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called the new law “despicable” and “a flagrant attempt to endanger” federal officers.
Agency sources have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nice-try-gavin-newsom-cant-stop-ice-agents-from-wearing-masks-sources-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The Daily Wire</a> that the new law isn’t going to stop them from masking. “Nice try by Newsom, but he knows it doesn’t apply to federal agents,” one source said. “He loves stirring the pot so that people find more ways to bring conflict to ICE.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/as-newsom-targets-federal-law-enforcement-california-sees-mob-style-robbery-spike?author=Amanda+Prestigiacomo&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=As+Newsom+Targets+Federal+Law+Enforcement%2C+California+Sees+Mob-Style+Robbery+Spike">As Newsom Targets Federal Law Enforcement, California Sees Mob-Style Robbery Spike</a>

U.S. President Donald Trump makes announcement at the White House

Trump Authorizing ‘Full Force’ Of Military To Protect ICE From Antifa, Domestic Terrorists 

Antifa

Gavin Newsom

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Portland

U.S.

KNOB NOSTER, MISSOURI — President Donald Trump shocked the world with his announcement on the evening of Saturday, June 21: the United States had successfully attacked three nuclear sites in Iran, and the B-2 bombers who had completed this incredibly secretive mission were on their way home.
&#8220;Congratulations to our great American Warriors,&#8221; the president shared in a triumphant Truth Social post. &#8220;There is not another military in the World that could have done this.&#8221;
It was an incredible victory for Trump 2.0 in more ways than one: Operation Midnight Hammer had been executed without a single leak to the ever-eager White House or Pentagon press. But how, exactly, had this Hollywood-esque mission been accomplished? And who were the people who made it run so smoothly?
The Daily Wire ventured out to a small Missouri town called Knob Noster, which houses Whiteman Air Force Base, to learn about America&#8217;s most elusive bomber program: the 509th Bomb Wing, one of only two Air Force units to operate the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. This unit has the unique ability to launch their bombers straight from Missouri to any spot on the globe.
With rare access to pilots and commanders, The Daily Wire learned how a single mission—planned in silence and executed with breathtaking speed—reshaped the conversation about modern warfare through the largest B-2 strike in United States history.
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Only 21 of these B-2 planes were ever made: one crashed and one was damaged, but the rest are housed at Whiteman Air Force Base, the only home of the B-2 stealth bomber. The concept of the plane was conceived back in 1979, at the height of the Cold War, when the United States military had planes that could drop bombs, planes that were stealth, and planes with long ranges, but none that could do all three of these things.
The Pentagon green-lighted a new program to create such planes in 1979, and by 1989, the B-2 Spirit was taking its first flight.
Thirty-six years later, the planes were an integral part of Operation Midnight Hammer. On June 21, 2025, a squadron of B-2 stealth bombers took off from Whiteman, loaded with 420,000 pounds of advanced bunker-busting bombs, headed for Iran. Some went west over the Pacific as part of a deception mission, but seven bombers headed east, flying 7,000 miles towards Iran&#8217;s nuclear facilities.
The trip involved mid-air refueling — one of the most difficult aspects, explained Colonel Jared Kennish, a B-2 pilot closely involved in the mission and commander of the 131st Bomb Wing, Missouri National Guard at Whiteman. And though the B-2&#8217;s flying wings are actually giant fuel tanks capable of holding tens of thousands of gallons of jet fuel, Operation Midnight Hammer involved six refuels. The wings hold roughly 160,000 pounds of fuel, which is enough to keep a B-2 airborne for about 6,000 miles without having to stop for a refuel.
&#8220;It&#8217;s very easy to fly,&#8221; Kennish explained. &#8220;Probably the most difficult part is air refueling.&#8221;
Asked if it was easy for things to go wrong during refueling, Kennish responded: &#8220;It&#8217;s always easy for things to go wrong, but I mean, we train for that. That&#8217;s what we do. Over and over, repetitions, simulators, [flight] training hours, and everything else.&#8221;
&#8220;What&#8217;s unique about the B-2 is the fact that really the only aircraft in the world that provides stealth payload and precision anywhere in the world,&#8221; he shared. &#8220;We can be anywhere in the world, strike precision weapons within minutes, with the time and place of our choosing.&#8221;
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The Daily Wire learned that during Operation Midnight Hammer, each B-2 was burning roughly 100 pounds of jet fuel every 10 seconds. To put that in the context of the five-gallon gas cans used for a lawn mower, every 10 seconds, a single B-2 loaded with bombs burned through three gas cans. And since the planes were in the air for 37 hours, each of the B-2s in Operation Midnight Hammer burned about 200,000 gallons. So the mission used at least 1.4 million gallons for the seven B-2s alone.
That&#8217;s enough gas for a Toyota Camry to go around the world 2,193 times.
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The B-2s entered Iranian airspace at around 6 pm Eastern time, and forty minutes later, six of them had hit their first target as they dropped six bombs (the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or MOP) into the two main ventilation shafts at the Fordo Mountain uranium enrichment facility. The seventh B-2 dropped two more bombs on the Natanz nuclear facility, protected by a 25-foot-thick concrete shield.
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Chief Master Sergeant Frank Espinoza, whose team loaded the bombs onto the planes before the mission, showed The Daily Wire an example of the &#8220;MOP&#8221; at Whiteman, sharing that the bombs produce an overpressure phenomenon that sends shock waves deep into the ground. The MOP is designed to detonate only after it pierces through rock and reaches its underground target.
&#8220;It&#8217;s a 30,000-pound munition,&#8221; Espinoza shared. &#8220;It&#8217;s meant to penetrate hardened targets and it&#8217;s pretty accurate&#8230;If we want to hit any place anywhere on the planet, we&#8217;re going to do it.&#8221;
&#8220;No other country has this type of bomber or this type of munition,&#8221; he noted. &#8220;It was specifically designed for that target, 15 years to develop this specifically. This is the first time that the MOP was used in combat and we used 14 of them and they all worked as advertised.&#8221;
Colonel Joshua Wiitala, commander of the 509th bomb wing, oversees the B-2 program at Whiteman, and oversaw Operation Midnight Hammer. He described watching the pilots return from Operation Midnight Hammer, flying over the heads of their breathless families, who had gathered at the base once news broke of the daring mission. These families didn&#8217;t know that their pilot family member was going when he or she left the day before, Wiitala shared, but they were used to these types of procedures.
&#8220;When it was announced that the mission had happened, the family started to find out that that was the case. A lot of them gathered here on base. We brought them out to the flight line, and when the jets recovered, there were families cheering for them. They pitched out over the base, right over top of their families.&#8221;
&#8220;I would say the biggest moment for me ever as a commander, and really the biggest moment of my career, was when I knew they were safe,&#8221; he said. &#8220;When I knew they were in safe airspace and they had accomplished the mission, that&#8217;s when the emotions really started to flow, to be honest.&#8221;
His pilots didn&#8217;t seem nervous when they took off, Wiitala said. They were &#8220;very excited.&#8221;
&#8220;They understood that this was going to be one of the most consequential raids of our lifetime.&#8221;
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How To Win A War In 37 Hours: Daily Wire Goes Inside Whiteman Air Force Base

Air Force

Iran

WASHINGTON — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth will address his senior military leaders next week, The Daily Wire has learned, amid buzz from legacy media outlets suggesting a &#8220;rare, urgent meeting of hundreds of generals&#8221; and admirals.
The news came after The Washington Post reported that Hegseth had ordered hundreds of United States military leaders to gather quickly and without explanation — claiming that the move is &#8220;sowing confusion and alarm after the Trump administration’s firing of numerous senior leaders this year.&#8221;
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell shared in a statement to The Daily Wire on Thursday that the Secretary of War will be &#8220;addressing his senior military leaders early next week.”
The Washington Post, which frequently reports critically on Hegseth&#8217;s Pentagon, claimed that Hegseth&#8217;s &#8220;overly political moves have deepened a sense of distress among his opponents,&#8221; critics who are reportedly alarmed that Hegseth is &#8220;erasing the Defense Department’s status as a nonpartisan institution.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_976971" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/secretary-of-war-pete-hegseth-to-convene-military-brass-at-virginia-summit/president-trump-attends-pentagon-ceremony-on-24th-anniversary-of-9-11-3" rel="attachment wp-att-976971"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-976971" class="wp-image-976971 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2234860930-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2234860930-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2234860930-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2234860930-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/GettyImages-2234860930.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth during a September 11th observance event in the courtyard of the Pentagon September 11, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)</div>
On Thursday afternoon, asked about the Washington Post report, President Donald Trump told a reporter: &#8220;Why is that such a big deal? The fact that we are getting along with the generals and admirals?&#8221;
The president pushed back on the framing of the reporter&#8217;s question, suggesting that the meeting only portended good things.
&#8220;Remember, I&#8217;m the president of peace,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s good to get along. You act like this is a bad thing. Isn&#8217;t it nice that people are coming from all over the world to be with us?&#8221;
Vice President JD Vance chimed in: &#8220;It&#8217;s not particularly unusual that generals who report to the Secretary of War and then to the President of the United States, are coming to speak with the Secretary of War. It&#8217;s actually not unusual at all, and I think it&#8217;s odd that you guys have made it into such a big story.&#8221;
&#8220;Is it a big story?&#8221; asked the president, to laughs from his vice president and other officials in the room. &#8220;Isn&#8217;t it a good story?&#8221;

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth Hosts Canada’s Defense Minister David McGuinty At The Pentagon

Secretary Of War Pete Hegseth To Convene Military Brass At Virginia Summit

Executive

WASHINGTON—The Department of War is implementing new guidelines for what parts of the Pentagon are accessible to the press.
In a memo first obtained by The Daily Wire, Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell shared “updated physical control measures for press/media access within the Pentagon.” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had initially shared this information in May, but the Thursday memo implements those directives, requiring credentialed media to sign new documents essentially renewing the guidelines for access to the building.
Previously, Pentagon press had very easy access to the premises, an official close to the situation told The Daily Wire. Reporters could traverse the building much like the press can access the United States Capitol, and easily observe generals or high-ranking officials visiting with the Secretary of War or entering classified meeting rooms, allowing reporters to easily publicize the inner workings of the Pentagon.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We’re announcing additional credentialing procedures for press at the Pentagon in the interest of national security. <a href="https://t.co/2fQA4z7AsO">pic.twitter.com/2fQA4z7AsO</a>
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecWar/status/1926020350191567308?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
“All members of the press issued a Pentagon Facility Alternate Credential (PFAC), will be required to read and sign a new in&#8211;brief form outlining information security requirements, the new physical control measures, and Department of War expectations of their compliance with safety and security requirements,” the memo states. It notes that in addition to the “Additional Press Identifier Badge,” the Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA) will start issuing new PFACS to the press in the coming weeks, giving priority to resident members of the media through September 30, and non-resident members of the media beginning October 1, 2025.
“These new PFACS will have ‘PRESS’ clearly imprinted on them in red letters both vertically and horizontally to assist in identifying members of the press,” the memo states. 
The Department of War requests the assistance of the media in making sure that all their staff are “aware of the physical control measures, including the requirement to provide escorts for any media coming into your spaces for approved interviews.” The memo also notes that  if any DOW personnel “see any news media outside of the areas depicted in Appendix D that do not have an escort, they should direct them back to the designated no&#8211;escort required areas and alert the Pentagon Press Operations office.” 
“Up until now, the press could wander all around the Pentagon with no oversight,” Parnell explained in May. “Even outside of sensitive/classified areas. So moving forward, they’ll need an escort to access those areas. They still have access to the entire defense press office, the press secretary &amp; my office, as well as much of the rest of the building. These are pragmatic changes to protect operational security &amp; ultimately brings the Pentagon in line with other government buildings.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Up until now, the press could wander all around the Pentagon with no oversight. Even outside of sensitive/classified areas. 
So moving forward, they’ll need an escort to access those areas. 
They still have access to the entire defense press office, the press secretary &amp; my office,… <a href="https://t.co/usJjF6HBSs">https://t.co/usJjF6HBSs</a>
— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellASW) <a href="https://twitter.com/SeanParnellASW/status/1926030906520674413?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2025</a></blockquote>
The move is likely to spark outrage from some corners of the media. Reporters from the Associated Press, the Washington Post, and Aviation Week protested back in May, and a CBS News <a href="https://x.com/CBSNews/status/1932566203274350866">reporter suggested</a> that the measure was “aimed at making the Pentagon as difficult to cover as possible.”
“The next step is to ban reporters entirely from the Pentagon,” suggested CBS’s Dan Martin at the time.
“Such a stupid narrative,” Parnell fired back at the time. “Here’s the policy in a nutshell: Wear a media credential. Have an escort for sensitive areas. Just like every other U.S. military base on planet Earth. That’s it.”

President Trump Attends Pentagon Ceremony On 24th Anniversary Of 9/11

Department Of War Implements New Guidelines For Media Access At The Pentagon

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