Pete Hegseth: 'There's A Reason We're Gonna Have A Big Old Army Parade On June 14th Of 2025'

Forbes Breaking News

In remarks to the Special Operations Forces Week in Tampa, Florida, on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth discussed the upcoming military parade.

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00:00that grow in the minds of young people who then turn around and don't love their country.

00:04A huge part of ensuring we have a room like this full in the future is ensuring our kids

00:11and grandkids know why America is such a special place. What our founders gifted us 250 years ago,

00:17there's a reason we're going to have a big old army parade on June 14th of 2025.

00:23It's because what we celebrate in this country is a reflection of what we value.

00:32There are a lot of vapid things to celebrate, plenty of reality shows and garbage music and

00:36stuff on Netflix. How about we hold up our special operations community? How about we recognize the

00:44army and the Marine Corps of the United States at 250 years, the sacrifice of those men who stood on

00:49bridges 250 years ago and said, we will live free. We have an incredible story to tell if we're

00:56willing to tell it. And then if we're willing to raise young men and women willing and able to

01:02raise their right hand to defend this nation, never compromise on what you believe and why

01:07you rose your right hand. You raised it to defend our country and the constitution.

01:13Know the why and share it with your kids and grandkids. Encourage them to serve. It was one of

01:20the challenges of the book I wrote before I had this job, The War on Warriors. I was asking myself

01:26the same question. Do I want to serve in today's military given what has happened to it? And I can

01:32tell you a hundred days in watching our commander in chief, what he has been willing to do, the common

01:38sense he has applied, the courage he's at, he has shown. Um, I look forward to having a military.

01:45My kids would, I would proudly ask my kids to join. I've got a 14 year old boy. I look out. He's my

01:52oldest and 13 year old and 12 year old. I'm fighting right now to create the kind of formations to provide

01:58the kind of platforms that would serve them. Should they have the courage to do exactly what all of you

02:05have done? So we need to continue to reward innovation, encourage creative solutions,

02:12move faster than ever before. As General Fenton points out, threats evolve now in hours, not in

02:18years. In fact, I saw a report this morning on the plane here that demonstrated our enemies are

02:24adapting in a matter of hours, not in a matter of years. Days if we're lucky. We can't and we won't

02:32fight today's opponent at yesterday's pace. When our opponents know that our military is armed with

02:37the most capable weapons systems known to man, wielded by skilled warriors with the will to

02:41prevail, they are less likely to challenge us on the battlefield. And that.

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