Hegseth Tells West Point Graduates 'Diversity Is Our Strength' Is the Dumbest Phrase in Military History

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered the commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on May 23 and used it to attack the military's prior diversity policies. He called "diversity is our strength" the "single dumbest phrase in military history," substituted "unity is our strength," and said that "the battlefield does not grade on a curve, and you can't throw your pronouns at the enemy." He argued that an ideological focus undermines effectiveness and can endanger personnel in combat, emphasized merit-based advancement, and read from Isaiah in framing military service as a calling. He also announced that the Army had met its 2026 recruiting goal four months early, a second consecutive record year.

A service academy commencement is a ceremonial occasion at which the civilian head of the department addresses officers on the day they are commissioned. Using it to characterize the framing adopted by prior military leadership as the dumbest in the institution's history puts newly commissioned officers on notice about which views are favored by the civilian leadership they are bound to obey.

The remarks drew criticism in commentary but no formal response from the academy. The recruiting figure was announced by Hegseth and not independently verified in the sources reviewed.