{"id":81255,"date":"2026-01-12T23:28:24","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T23:28:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2026\/01\/12\/pentagon-clarifies-hegseths-putting-hands-on-recruits-statement\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T17:07:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T17:07:24","slug":"pentagon-clarifies-hegseths-putting-hands-on-recruits-statement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/01\/12\/pentagon-clarifies-hegseths-putting-hands-on-recruits-statement\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon clarifies Hegseth\u2019s \u2018putting hands on recruits\u2019 statement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Defense Department has added more context to provocative comments <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2025\/11\/25\/hazing-bullying-reports-up-as-hegseth-pushes-for-rougher-training\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2025\/11\/25\/hazing-bullying-reports-up-as-hegseth-pushes-for-rougher-training\/\">Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth<\/a> made about aggressive and even physical troop training in his address to the military\u2019s general officers and admirals in late September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a letter responding to queries from a coalition of lawmakers, Anthony Tata, the Pentagon\u2019s undersecretary for personnel and readiness said that \u201chazing and bullying have no place in the U.S. military,\u201d despite comments from Hegseth that appeared to blur the lines on acceptable training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe definition of toxic has been turned upside down, and we\u2019re correcting that. That\u2019s why today, at my direction we\u2019re undertaking a full review of the department\u2019s definitions of so-called toxic leadership, bullying and hazing, to empower leaders to enforce standards without fear of retribution or second guessing,\u201d Hegseth said in his remarks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOf course, you can\u2019t do, like, nasty bullying and hazing. We\u2019re talking about words like bullying and hazing and toxic. They\u2019ve been weaponized and bastardized inside our formations, undercutting commanders and NCOs. No more. Setting, achieving and maintaining high standards is what you all do. And if that makes me toxic, then so be it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Drill instructors, Hegseth said, would be empowered \u201cto instill healthy fear in new recruits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYes, they can shark attack, they can toss bunks, they can swear, and yes, they can put their hands on recruits,\u201d he said. \u201cThis does not mean they can be reckless or violate the law, but they can use tried and true methods to motivate new recruits, to make them the warriors they need to be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his response letter, Tata put guardrails around the use of physical contact with military recruits, saying it would be used to ensure the safety of personnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDrill instructors have the difficult task of shaping civilians into soldiers, sailors, airmen, guardians, and Marines,\u201d he wrote. \u201cBasic training involves real world scenarios and weapons. When the safety of the recruit or others is jeopardized, drill instructors may take appropriate actions to ensure the safety of the recruits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The response letter did not define the scope of \u201cappropriate actions\u201d or what would determine whether a drill instructor\u2019s physical response to a recruit was justified. But Tata did stress that Hegseth\u2019s effort to reevaluate definitions of terms including \u201cbullying\u201d and \u201chazing\u201d would, he said, make it easier to identify and respond to truly objectionable behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat the department is trying to get after is the unduly burdensome complaints system in the military that undermines leaders\u2019 effectiveness,\u201d he wrote. \u201cBy providing definitions that focus on the egregious misconduct described in your letter, leaders will be empowered to more easily address inappropriate conduct that does not constitute hazing or bullying while focusing resources on preventing and addressing incidents of hazing and bullying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. Judy Chu, the California congresswoman who led the group of 28 Democratic lawmakers in requesting responses from Hegseth regarding his plans to change recruit training and hazing definitions, has a personal connection to the issue: Her nephew, Lance Cpl. Harry Lew, died by suicide in Afghanistan in 2011 after a night of physical hazing and abuse by fellow Marines in punishment for falling asleep on post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe want a strong military where people feel that they\u2019re unified in their desire to protect this country,\u201d Chu told Military Times in a November interview. \u201cNot where they are torturing one another to the point where certain people feel like they have to kill themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most recently compiled report on military hazing, from 2024, shows that about one in five hazing and bullying complaints is substantiated, and that reporting numbers, while on a recent upswing, are relatively low, with 138 hazing complaints for that year. The Marine Corps has accounted for a disproportionately high share of hazing allegations since congressionally mandated reporting began in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tata maintained in the letter that a \u201cclearer definition\u201d of hazing and bullying following the Hegseth-ordered review of definitions would increase the percentage of substantiated complaints. He also cited a new database under development by the Pentagon, thanks to funding provided in 2025 to collect and compile hazing complaints more effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHistorically, these data were collected manually, and some details of the complaints were not reported to the department,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pentagon officials did not officially have an update on the definitions review, which was initially expected to take 30 days, but was affected by the October government shutdown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement to Military Times following the Pentagon\u2019s response letter, Chu was cautious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI am pleased that the Department of Defense has responded to our letter but remain concerned about its decision to change the definition of hazing and processes to handle hazing, bullying and harassment complaints,\u201d she said. \u201dI will continue to lead my congressional colleagues in ensuring the dignity and safety of all service members and recruits and that the department accurately fulfills its annual reporting requirements to Congress. No one should have to endure abuse and hazing while honorably serving our country.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Defense Department has added more context to provocative comments Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made about aggressive troop training.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":111178,"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":62,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,12,26,62],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3376],"class_list":["post-81255","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":"F7AZSEX3RNCM7LIUGVI7MI7NQU","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2026\/01\/12\/pentagon-clarifies-hegseths-putting-hands-on-recruits-statement\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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