Pete Hegseth got an embarrassingly muted response when he delivered a rallying war cry meant to instill fear in America’s enemies in front of the country’s top military leaders.

The defense secretary, who has now rebranded himself the “secretary of war,” was speaking Tuesday at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, where almost 800 generals, admirals, and senior enlisted leaders were ordered to gather from around the world on short notice. At the base, near Washington, they were treated to an animated Hegseth, who reeled off chest-beating platitudes accompanied by visceral facial expressions for 45 minutes.

“Should our enemies choose foolishly to challenge us, they will be crushed by the violence, precision, and ferocity of the War Department,” the former Fox News host said, setting u

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