QUANTICO, Va. — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used a Wednesday address at Marine Corps Base Quantico to promote the Trump administration’s changes to the military and assail what he described as ideological influence in the ranks. “No fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals. Just warriors,” Hegseth told an audience of military officers and enlisted leaders. He added that “the ideological clowns are out” and “the patriotic cowboys are in,” touting testosterone testing as part of the shift. The address came as Hegseth presses to shrink the military’s flag-officer corps. He said the Pentagon has already reduced it by 10% and reaffirmed a goal of cutting it by 20%. His approach, including changes to promotion boards and the removal of senior officers, has drawn criticism from both parties. Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Hegseth had ended the careers of dozens of accomplished officers without explaining why. Reed called the speech’s developments alarming. Many of the prominent officers dismissed have been Black or women, despite what the account described as strong service records. Hegseth defended the administration’s personnel policies, saying recruitment and retention had improved, including among women and minorities. He described the force as “color-blind” and merit-based. The speech did not provide figures to support those claims. Hegseth also criticized news coverage of military morale and reports of depleted ammunition stocks during the war with Iran, now in its seventh month. The Pentagon had not held a news briefing since May, despite the ongoing conflict. The event echoed a speech Hegseth delivered to senior military leaders the previous year. The U.S. military has traditionally sought to remain outside partisan politics, while Hegseth’s remarks again focused on cultural disputes and assigned blame to former generals and defense secretaries. Alongside those themes, Hegseth announced initiatives involving autonomous weapons, technology, base construction and domestic production of essential military supplies. He also pledged a larger role for military chaplains, calling religious faith central to the republic. Earlier in the week, he announced an end to civilian tenure positions at U.S. military academies. The Pentagon said the change was intended to keep the institutions focused on “lethality and readiness.” Hegseth criticized elite colleges as anti-American while naming five schools that will take part in a new Pentagon partnership to develop officer candidates.