Pete Hegseth declares war on 'wokeness' + Australia’s historic treaty

US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, delivered his new set of directives for the US military, including that moving forward he only wants male standards for combat roles and suggested wokeness was infecting the department of war.

During the hour-long speech in front of some of the country's top personnel, Hegseth told the crowd he’s tired of seeing ‘fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon, and leading commands around the country and the world’.

In this episode of The Briefing Helen Smith is joined by Donna Manton, a former army major and the chairperson of the Athena project, who explains why the speech could be detrimental for the US military.

Afternoon headlines: Historic defence treaty between Australia and Papua New Guinea approved, Global Sumud Flotilla intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters, thousands of Commonwealth Bank users unable to access their online banking and 32 Chunk wins Fat Bear Week contest for 2025

Follow The Briefing:
TikTok: @thebriefingpod
Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast
YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast
Facebook: @LiSTNR Newsroom

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.