Hegseth’s New ‘Field Manual’ for Troops Includes Trump’s Pledge Against ‘Dumb Wars’

Defense Secretary Hegseth's new manual includes Trump's pledge against 'dumb wars' and speeches on military reforms.

October 1, 2026 One Min Read

POLICY WIRE — Washington, D.C. — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has distributed a 144-page manual to U.S. service members that features transcripts of his own speeches and a direct quote from former President Donald Trump vowing to avoid dumb wars.

The document was provided to approximately 600 troops at Hegseth’s “State of the Force” address in Quantico, Virginia. It includes a transcript of his September 2025 speech on restoring the warrior ethos, where he declared, “Good morning and welcome to the War Department. Because the era of the Department of Defense is over.”

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Also included is Hegseth’s January 2026 address on technological dominance, in which he praised Elon Musk and SpaceX as symbols of American innovation. Trump’s forward to the manual carries a tone reminiscent of a Truth Social post, stating, I will not ask you to fight dumb Wars. I will unleash you to be violent, lethal and unstoppable.

During the event, Hegseth announced plans to reduce the number of admirals and generals by 20 percent and called for increased funding for the Pentagon. He also criticized media coverage of the ongoing Iran conflict and dismissed diversity initiatives, calling them “not our strength.”

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)

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