Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps cadets at Texas A&M University that the U.S. military will prioritize merit, competence, and combat readiness in all personnel decisions.
Speaking in College Station, Texas, Hegseth said that two days after taking office, he signed a memorandum directing that the armed forces "will be governed strictly by merit, competence and combat readiness." He said the military will be "colorblind, gender-neutral and merit-based," with no compromise on standards, discipline, training, or readiness.
Hegseth also visited Saronic, a defense contractor that manufactures autonomous ocean-going drones. One of those drones was used to rescue two AH-64 Apache pilots off the coast of Oman. During his two-day trip to Texas, he administered the oath of enlistment to recruits and the oath of office to ROTC cadets.
Hegseth noted that Texas A&M has a long military history. During World War II, more than 20,000 Aggies served, and the school provided more military leaders than any other source outside the U.S. service academies. About 40 percent of the school's cadets eventually accept a commission to serve in the U.S. military.
"I make you this personal pledge: just as my fellow soldiers had my back on the battlefield in Iraq and Afghanistan, I will always have your back," Hegseth told the cadets.