Top American military brass looked on in silence Tuesday as they sat for an extensive lecture from US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who wants to be known as the Secretary of War, and their commander-in-chief,

Native leaders, historians, and lawmakers called Hegseth’s decision not to strip the medals an act of violence against their people.

ABC News obtained memos filed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that showed he is reviewing military policies on hazing and harrasment.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth touted the new name, the Department of War, saying "the era of the Department of Defense is over."

Historically, the U.S. military has been an engine for cultural and social change in America. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s vision for the armed forces he leads runs counter to that. In comments Tuesday to hundreds military leaders and their chief enlisted advisers,

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announces changes to physical requirements for combat personnel and other policy shifts eliminating DEI in the military.

After listing the proposed changes, Hegseth gave the assembled officers a warning: “If the words I’m speaking today are making your hearts sink, then you should do the honorable thing and resign.” If the commanders wanted to better understand what he was saying, he jokingly told them, they could pick up a copy of his book.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking to military commanders in Quantico, Virginia Tuesday, announced directives for troops that include “gender-neutral” or “male-level” standards for physical fitness as well as an end to “woke” culture in the military.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wants to review standard changes since the 1990s. Military women watching shifts in DoD worry about what's coming.