Retired general weighs in on President Trump, Pete Hegseth addressing military leaders, reshaping of U.S. Army

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — This week, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and President Donald Trump addressed the nation’s top military commanders on Tuesday, signaling a focus on reshaping the U.S. Army.

Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, who served until 2017 as commanding general of U.S. Army Europe, spoke with WRBL News 3 about the recent developments.

Hodges, a seasoned commander in Iraq and Afghanistan, noted the significance of the leadership changes and their potential impact on Army culture.

On Tuesday, Hegseth called top generals, admirals, and noncommissioned officers to Virginia.

The secretary and Trump emphasized restoring a “warrior ethos,” highlighting physical fitness, grooming standards, and efforts to counter what they described as “woke influences” in the ranks.

Hodges said that a decade earlier, he would have attended a meeting like this, noting the professionalism of the military leadership in response.

“First of all, I would say that the most positive thing that came out of that whole meeting at Quantico was the very professional, respectful silence of the hundreds of officers, you know, generals and admirals and sergeants major in that auditorium, exactly as they should have done,” Hodges said. “That’s what they should have been doing in normal times.”

Hodges compared the reaction of the flag officers to how the Joint Chiefs of Staff or the Supreme Court respond during a State of the Union address.

Hegseth also addressed drill sergeant authority, including physical contact with recruits and the practice of multiple instructors surrounding trainees during training. Hodges expressed skepticism about any return to harsh physical methods.

“I’d be very surprised if there ever is an order, for example, to drill sergeants at Fort Benning, Georgia, to feel free to put your hands on trainees and use physical abuse,” Hodges said. “I doubt that that will ever appear as a real policy, because everybody knows that’s not how you train soldiers and create the best infantryman in the world. Instead, it’s about motivating them, making them tough, but motivating them with positive leadership.”

Hodges said that many of the changes Hegseth is ordering will be implemented at Fort Benning, which hosts Infantry and Armor Basic Training.

The retired general emphasized the importance of the post in shaping Army leaders.

“Fort Benning is a place where a huge part of our officer and noncommissioned officer corps get their start, their training, their foundation for becoming leaders in the United States Army,” Hodges said. “And a key part of this, of course, is our oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. That oath probably gets administered a thousand times a week at Fort Benning.”

Hodges said any changes to the Army’s ethos and structure would be felt almost immediately at Fort Benning.