Veterans react to Hegseth’s ‘insulting’ address to generals and admirals

Defense secretary's speech touching on physical fitness and doctrine of lethality was seen as egotistical' and dangerous'

Naveed Shah, a veteran and activist who served as an enlisted public affairs specialist - an army journalist - uncharacteristically found himself searching for words to describe the address of the newly styled secretary of war to flag officers on Tuesday.

A lot of the words that are coming to me aren't fit to print," said Shah, policy director for Common Defense, a veterans advocacy organization. The people in that room who have served for 20, 30-plus years in uniform do not need Pete Hegseth to tell them about warrior ethos."