WASHINGTON - In a hastily convened meeting of generals and admirals on Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth introduced 10 new directives aimed at strengthening the department's people and culture, slamming beards and bulging bellies in troops.

"The topic today is about the nature of ourselves; because no plan, no program, no reform (and) no formation will ultimately succeed unless we have the right people and the right culture at the Department of War," Hegseth told hundreds of the US military's senior leaders -- some of whom traveled from across the globe to attend the meeting, held at the Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia.

Arguing that the military has been forced to focus on the wrong things by misguided politicians for too long, Hegseth said that he's committed to uprooting the distractions that have made the department "woke" in past years.

The defense secretary's directives include strengthening physical fitness standards and testing, and tightening appearance requirements, according to which beards will no longer be authorized.

He also announced that the department will conduct a review of policies on so-called "toxic leadership," bullying and hazing, to empower leaders to enforce standards without fear of retribution or second-guessing.

Hegseth said that the department is "attacking and ending the 'walking on eggshells' and zero-defect command culture," and "liberating" the inspector general process that has been "weaponized." He also attacked Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and emphasized promotions based on merit.

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Hegseth said that service members in combat-related occupations must execute their fitness test at a "gender-neutral male standard" with a score of 70 percent or higher. "If women can make it, excellent. If not, it is what it is. If that means no women qualify for some combat jobs, so be it," he said.

In terms of grooming standards, Hegseth criticized "fat" soldiers and generals. "It's tiring to look out at combat formations, or really any formation, and see fat troops. Likewise, it's completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon ... it's a bad look," he said.

Hegseth stated that he will completely overhaul the channels available to service members and defense personnel for anonymously filing complaints, reporting "toxic leadership," or pointing out unequal treatment based on race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion.

"No more frivolous complaints. No more anonymous complaints. No more repeat complainants. No more smearing reputations. No more endless waiting. No more legal limbo. No more sidetracking careers. No more walking on eggshells," said the defense secretary.

After Hegseth's speech, US President Donald Trump appeared at the meeting and delivered a wide-ranging address lasting over an hour.

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Trump attacked "radical left Democrats" and claimed that the United States is under "invasion from within," which is "no different than a foreign enemy, but more difficult in many ways."

"We should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military, National Guard," Trump said, adding that "we're going into Chicago very soon."

The Defense Department livestreamed the meeting on social media platform X. In the comment section, some users expressed concern over the vast expenses of bringing military leaders from around the world back to Virginia for the meeting, arguing that such messages could be conveyed through email or online meetings.

When asked by the media about the cost of the meeting, Trump said earlier Tuesday that "there's a little bit of expense," but "this is the one time we had to do a great spiritizing."

The meeting was held as Hegseth pushes for a large-scale overhaul of the Defense Department. The reforms include cutting 20 percent of active-duty four-star generals and admirals, as well as renaming the department as the "Department of War."

Earlier this year, less than three months after taking office, Hegseth became embroiled in the "SignalGate" scandal for allegedly leaking sensitive information in a group chat that included a US journalist, triggering a major personnel shake-up within the department and drawing criticism for plunging the Pentagon into "complete chaos." Hegseth is also a former Fox News host.