{"id":84357,"date":"2025-02-07T18:25:27","date_gmt":"2025-02-07T18:25:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2025\/02\/07\/pentagon-cuts-off-hegseth-town-hall-webcast-after-transparency-pledge\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T01:15:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T01:15:43","slug":"pentagon-cuts-off-hegseth-town-hall-webcast-after-transparency-pledge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/02\/07\/pentagon-cuts-off-hegseth-town-hall-webcast-after-transparency-pledge\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon cuts off Hegseth town hall webcast after transparency pledge"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Update: After this story was published Feb. 7, the Pentagon released a transcript and video of the Q&amp;A portion of the town hall that was originally not broadcast. Our story on the Q&amp;A <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2025\/02\/08\/deterring-china-slashing-waste-top-pentagon-priorities-hegseth-says\/\" target=\"_blank\"><i>can be found here<\/i><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Pentagon cut off a webcast of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/01\/29\/hegseth-moves-to-ban-race-sex-consideration-from-military-promotions\/\" target=\"_blank\">Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth\u2019s<\/a> first town hall with troops and department employees Friday as soon as questions began, and shortly after Hegseth promised to be transparent with service members and the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hegseth delivered about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvidshub.net\/video\/951752\/defense-secretary-hosts-live-town-hall\" target=\"_blank\">15 minutes of opening remarks<\/a>, which touched on issues such as grooming standards, readiness, border security and the administration\u2019s desire to root out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/news\/your-air-force\/2025\/01\/27\/air-force-reinstates-course-with-tuskegee-airmen-video-after-outcry\/\" target=\"_blank\">diversity, equity and inclusion programs<\/a> from the military, before opening the floor to questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first person to respond, who identified himself as an official in the Air Force\u2019s strategic deterrence and nuclear integration section, asked whether the administration planned to be more assertive in the \u201cgray zone\u201d \u2014 short of actual warfare \u2014 to deter China and Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat\u2019s a good question,\u201d Hegseth said before the feed cut out, leaving only music playing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Defense Department spokesperson confirmed to Defense News shortly afterward that the broadcast\u2019s halt was not an accident or technical glitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat was predetermined,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The broadcast ended less than two minutes after Hegseth pledged to be open with service members and the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI appreciate the service so many of you give,\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cI know so many people watching. It\u2019s the honor of a lifetime to come alongside you. No one will work harder. No one\u2019s going to be more \u2014 attempt to be more transparent with the American people and with you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked a follow-up question about why the department stopped broadcasting when questions began, the Pentagon\u2019s press office said, \u201cThe [defense secretary\u2019s] opening remarks were televised to allow a larger audience. The Q&amp;A portion was open to in-person participants only.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It does not appear the Pentagon broadcast any portion of town halls held by Hegseth\u2019s predecessor, Lloyd Austin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the Pentagon did not indicate in its Friday morning email announcing Hegseth\u2019s town hall that the questioning portion would not be broadcast. The webpage with the town hall feed<b> <\/b>originally indicated the broadcast was scheduled to run for about an hour and a half.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his opening remarks, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2025\/01\/25\/hegseth-confirmed-as-next-defense-secretary-by-narrow-senate-vote\/\" target=\"_blank\">Hegseth said President Donald Trump<\/a> asked him \u201cto not maintain the status quo,\u201d and said under his leadership, the military is \u201cgoing to take unconventional approaches.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re going to move fast, think outside the box, be disruptive on purpose [and] to create a sense of urgency that I want to make sure exists inside this department,\u201d Hegseth said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hegseth said one of his top priorities is \u201crestoring the warrior ethos,\u201d before harshly criticizing the Pentagon\u2019s previous focus on improving diversity in the ranks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think the single dumbest phrase in military history is, \u2018Our diversity is our strength,\u2019\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cI think our strength is our unity. Our strength is our shared purpose, regardless of our background, regardless of how we grew up, regardless of our gender, regardless of our race. In this department, we will treat everyone equally, we will treat everyone with respect and we will judge you as an individual by your merit and by your commitment to the team and the mission.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Trump administration views diversity, equity and inclusion programs \u2014 referred to as DEI \u2014 as efforts to divide the military instead of uniting it, Hegseth said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the Pentagon\u2019s initial efforts to comply with the administration\u2019s DEI orders have been rocky. The Air Force temporarily pulled a basic training class, which contained videos on the Black World War II <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/news\/your-air-force\/2025\/01\/25\/air-force-pulls-class-with-tuskegee-airmen-video-after-dei-order\/\" target=\"_blank\">pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen<\/a> and pioneering female pilots, as it reviewed the class materials. That class was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airforcetimes.com\/news\/your-air-force\/2025\/01\/27\/air-force-reinstates-course-with-tuskegee-airmen-video-after-outcry\/\" target=\"_blank\">reinstated a few days later<\/a>, with videos on the Tuskegee Airmen and Women\u2019s Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs, intact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During Friday\u2019s town hall,<b> <\/b>Hegseth also promised to rebuild the military, the nation\u2019s defense industrial base and the Pentagon\u2019s acquisition process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hegseth portrayed himself as someone who has no personal investment or interest in particular defense systems and is \u201cagnostic\u201d on what service members most need to fight and win wars, suggesting that even expensive, major programs could be reconsidered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of programs around here that we\u2019ve spent a lot of money on, that when you actually war game it, don\u2019t have the impact you want it to,\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cI\u2019m here to take a lot of arrows, and I\u2019m prepared to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hegseth pledged to ensure the Pentagon could pass a clean audit by the end of the Trump administration \u2014 something it has failed to do since implementing annual audits in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe American taxpayers deserve that,\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cThey deserve to know where their $850 billion dollars go, how it\u2019s spent, and make sure it\u2019s spent wisely. \u2026 Every dollar of waste we find, or redundancy, is a dollar we can invest somewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hegseth also said the U.S. military will focus on reestablishing deterrence to dissuade potential adversaries from acting. He pointed to the disastrous 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Hamas\u2019 Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israeli civilians as events that created a \u201cperception of American weakness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re going to have accountability for \u2026 what occurred in Afghanistan, for what happened on October 7, the war that was unleashed in Ukraine,\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cChaos happens when the perception of American strength is not complete, and so we aim to re-establish that deterrence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That includes securing the United States\u2019 southern border with Mexico against crossings from people entering the country illegally, he said, and referred to such crossings as \u201can invasion of our own.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m sure many [people entering the country illegally] want to seek a better life,\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cI understand that. But we also don\u2019t know who millions of them are, what their intentions are, why they\u2019re here. That creates a very real national security threat to the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hegseth also said the Trump administration\u2019s \u201cAmerica First\u201d strategy includes pushing allies such as NATO nations to contribute more to their own national defense and serving as \u201ccombat multipliers\u201d to enhance U.S. military capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hegseth also said the military will renew its focus on \u201cbasic stuff\u201d like sharpening troops\u2019 grooming, uniform, training and fitness standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the military doesn\u2019t enforce seemingly small matters such as grooming standards, Hegseth said, it sends the message that those standards don\u2019t matter and opens the door to bigger lapses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hegseth compared it to the \u201cbroken windows\u201d theory of policing, which argues that ignoring petty crimes like vandalism sends a message that more serious crimes will not be enforced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m not saying if you violate grooming standards, you\u2019re a criminal,\u201d Hegseth said. \u201cThe analogy is incomplete. But if you violate the small stuff and you allow it to happen, it creates a culture where the big stuff, you\u2019re not held accountable for.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hegseth also called &#8220;Our diversity is our strength&#8221; the &#8220;single dumbest phrase in military history,&#8221; and intends to end the military&#8217;s DEI programs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":109287,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":65,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,16,26,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3320],"class_list":["post-84357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"7XNSWMO75REVFBHAQUBLAPPAQQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/pentagon\/2025\/02\/07\/pentagon-cuts-off-hegseth-town-hall-webcast-after-transparency-pledge\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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