The Brigade of Midshipmen greeted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth with thunderous applause upon his arrival to King Hall at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, this afternoon to kick off the defense secretary's first visit to the academy since his confirmation in January.
Hegseth shook hands with the future officers before stepping to the podium at the dining hall's center to deliver remarks.
"I'm honored to stand before you," Hegseth began. "About 30 minutes ago, I was sitting in the Oval Office with the Commander in Chief, Donald [J.] Trump. I have never witnessed a leader more focused … on directly advancing America first in every single decision he makes, including how he leads the military and how he deploys troops."
Hegseth extended the president's greetings to the brigade.
"The president sends his best," he said. "He and I want you to know that our job is to make sure that the military you are entering is prepared to deter the wars we don't need to fight and then close with, destroy and defeat the enemies we must."
After lunch, Hegseth joined the brigade at Alumni Hall, where he articulated Trump and the Defense Department's priorities to over 4,000 of the school's students and faculty by reflecting on his recent trip to the Indo-Pacific and likening the veterans of the World War II Pacific campaign to the young people before him.
"I looked at those 95-year-old men [at Iwo Jima] and thought of them as 18-year-olds," he said, recalling his recent visit to mark the battle's 80th anniversary. "Would my 14-year-old son, four years from now, muster the courage to charge a beach like that? When I look at you, I know our country still produces such men and women."
Hegseth first called for a renewed warrior ethos. "I don't care if you're a mechanic, a lawyer, or a Marine [infantryman] — you are a warrior on behalf of this nation, held to standards and accountable," Hegseth said. Past distractions, he argued, had diluted military focus. "Our differences don't make us strong. Our shared mission does."
"We're not charging electric tanks in the desert," he added. "We're focused on readiness and excellence."
The defense secretary then pivoted to the department's second priority: rebuilding the military. He leveraged his own experiences as a young platoon leader deployed to Iraq to explain his vision for a mission-focused, agile and adaptable armed forces, guided by accountable leadership.
"The only thing I cared about … was to know that my command and my commander had my back," Hegseth said. "That if I had to make a difficult decision with little sleep, limited information … my chain of command would have my back."
He brought reassurance from the top. "Your commander in chief, President Donald [J.] Trump, has your back," Hegseth affirmed. "He is going to make sure … you're given all the resources necessary to do your job."
"It's my job … to ensure you have everything you need," he added. "Your formations have everything you need."
Rebuilding the military forms his second pillar. "Projecting power requires investment," Hegseth said, pointing to Trump's unveiling of the F-47 sixth-generation fighter jet. "Our kids and grandkids will thank President Trump for that decision."
"That power projection platform will help maintain … air dominance … for the fights in the future that you will undertake," he told the midshipmen. Investments now, he argued, secure victories tomorrow.
"We are matching threats to capabilities," Hegseth emphasized. "My only job is to make decisions that I believe will put the best tools in the hands of warfighters."
The secretary explained that Trump's directive was blunt. "He said to me, 'I need you to restore the warfighting piece of the military. It's gotten distracted by a lot of other things,'" Hegseth recounted. "'Bring it back to basics.'"
"Your hands are united in that fight, in bringing lethality and violence on the enemy," he promised. "Decisions are pushed down to the lowest level possible … by warfighters who understand the nature of the threat."
"That's all I ever really wanted or needed," Hegseth said, recalling his days in the field. "That's my pledge to you."
To communicate the department's third pillar — reestablishing deterrence in a world where increasingly bold adversaries have violated international norms without consequence — Hegseth pointed to recent failures, including Afghanistan, Israel and Ukraine.
"When deterrence fails, other people take opportunity inside that space," Hegseth said. "In the years previous, we've had situations that have created the perception … of American weakness."
"Reestablishing deterrence is about declaring what you stand for … and then you're willing to enforce it," he told the brigade. "You are the faces of American deterrence."
The defense secretary also spotlighted the southern border. "We've spent a couple of decades policing other people's borders … while we had tens of millions of people … enter our country illegally," Hegseth said. "Illegal crossings … are down 94% since Inauguration Day."
"That's a function of the United States military," he added. "[U.S. Northern Command] … hopped to … on that southern border to begin sealing it the first day we took over."
In the Indo-Pacific, he named the challenge. "The People's Liberation Army has global ambitions … opposite of American freedom," Hegseth warned. "We're shifting resources to create dilemmas for [Chinese President] Xi Jinping."
Allies must share the load, he insisted. "An alliance without military capabilities is just a conference table with flags," he said, recalling a NATO ministerial. "We can shift toward the biggest threats … an ascendant … Communist Chinese."
"You are the reason why we're able to execute … a strategy that brings about peace," he told the midshipmen. "Some of your classmates … are somewhere in the middle of the Red Sea executing American deterrence. And that's what deterrence looks like."
"We're in the business of lethality, of deterrence and lethality," Hegseth continued. "To outmatch and destroy the enemy."
To close out his visit, Hegseth met with Superintendent Navy Vice Adm. Yvette M. Davids and Commandant Capt. Walter Allman III in Larson Hall, where each shared the institution's mission.
"We're building young people into officers of character ready to command at sea," Davids said. From small boats to summer cruises, the academy instills maritime mastery and leadership to deter threats and prevail in conflict.
Allman reinforced this commitment. "We're giving them real-world experience — whether it's a three-week block with the Marines at [Marine Corps Base] Quantico, [Virginia,] or supporting cyber operations at [the National Security Agency]," he said. Such training ensures graduates embody the merit and discipline Hegseth demands.
Allman went on to describe the academy's rigorous programs that align with that vision — summer assignments to submarines, ships and special warfare units. "It's about matching merit to mission," he said. Hegseth approved, noting the academy's focus on physical fitness, grooming standards and accountability.
"For too long, we got distracted by things that didn't make us lethal," Hegseth said. "Here, you're learning the basics. That's how you build readiness."
He invoked a policing theory to drive the point home. "If anything goes, nothing's locked tight when you need to be ready," he urged, calling midshipmen to uphold standards as future officers.
Hegseth's visit cemented the academy's role in advancing the department's priorities. "You are the reason we can execute American deterrence," he told midshipmen. "President Trump and I have your back, and we'll never apologize for putting America first."
The academy stands poised to meet global challenges, from China's rise to cyber threats and border security. And Davids captured that spirit. "These midshipmen have a different energy — optimistic, accountable, ready to serve," she said. "We're confident they'll make us the best."