TAMPA, Fla. — Elite Special Operations Forces are a core component of America’s ability to project power abroad and protect itself at home, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a fiery speech Tuesday as he decried the “wokeness and weakness” that he said is being eliminated from the military under President Trump’s leadership.
In a speech to the Special Operations Forces Week 2025 conference here, Mr. Hegseth said the work of Special Operations personnel — such as the Army Rangers, Green Berets, Navy SEALs and the highly secretive Delta Force — is more important than ever, from direct counterterrorism missions to behind-the-scenes work building partnerships in countries across the globe. SOF is also vital, he said, to demonstrate to an adversary such as China that it should not test the U.S.
“When our opponents know our military is armed with the most capable weapons systems known to man, wielded by skilled warriors with the will to prevail, they are less likely to challenge us on the battlefield. And that is the point,” Mr. Hegseth said in his keynote speech.
“Under the leadership of President Trump, the message to our adversaries has been undeniably clear: America is back,” he said. “And SOF amplifies this message and carries it to all of the far-flung corners of the world. It’s a pivotal mission that is laser-focused on war fighting.”
The secretary stressed that homeland defense is his No. 1 priority, and he gave a nod to the ambitious Golden Dome missile shield that Mr. Trump has pledged to build to protect the U.S. from ballistic and hypersonic missile threats from China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and other adversaries.
“Golden Dome for America is a part of that,” Mr. Hegseth said, referring to the broader mission to safeguard the homeland.
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Mr. Hegseth’s appearance at SOF Week underscores the deep importance of the Tampa gathering this year, with Special Operations Forces set to play a central role in the great power competitions of the 21st century, particularly America’s showdown with an increasingly powerful and provocative communist China.
Specialists say SOF will play a central role in the broader U.S. military and geopolitical strategy. While elite SOF units became virtual household names during the War on Terror, with high-profile missions such as the 2011 raid in Pakistan that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, analysts are quick to point out that SOF’s roots go much wider. Dating back to the most dangerous periods of the Cold War, SOF was often on the front lines of the American fight against communist forces, working on the ground with resistance forces and undertaking other specialized missions across the globe.
Today’s evolving role of SOF comes against the backdrop of major changes across the broader military, from structural changes to the Army and other services to significant U.S. force posture in key regions such as the Middle East and Pacific.
Amid those changes, there’s an expectation that the budgets for SOF units across the military will rise in the coming years as the forces form a central component of modern-day American power projection.
Partnerships with America’s allies will also be a key part of that power projection. Sixty-three countries are represented at SOF Week, and one core theme here is that the U.S. must deepen cooperation with allies.
“Special Operations is so critical to the national security of our nations,” said Stu Bradin, CEO of the Global Special Operations Forces Foundation, which organizes the SOF Week convention.
Mr. Hegseth echoed that sentiment and gave a nod to a central foreign policy priority of the Trump administration: Allies must contribute more to their own defense.
“It has to be a two-way street. We can’t want your security more than you want your own security,” the secretary said, seemingly referring to European nations that have come under heavy pressure from the Trump administration to ramp up defense spending.
In his 30-minute address, Mr. Hegseth often returned to the theme of restoring the “warrior ethos” of the military, the push to eliminate left-wing social policies and other initiatives that critics say have eroded the military’s effectiveness.
“We are leaving wokeness and weakness behind. No more pronouns, no more climate change obsession, no more emergency vaccine mandates. No more dudes in dresses. We’re done with that s —-,” Mr. Hegseth said. “We’re focused on lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards and readiness.”
He added, “Our combat formations don’t need to look like Harvard University. They need to look like killers. Trained, skilled and prepared. Standards need to be high and they need to be gender neutral.”
