Military told to 'fix decades of decay'

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said yesterday the US military must fix “decades of decay” as he addressed a rare gathering of hundreds of senior officers summoned from around the world to hear him speak near Washington.

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The wide-ranging 45-minute speech comes as the military has faced controversy both at home and abroad, with President Donald Trump deploying troops in two Democratic-run US cities and ordering lethal strikes on small, alleged drug boats in the Caribbean.

Trump, who has overseen a rare purge of senior officers after taking office, has also ordered strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and Tehran-backed Yemeni rebels.

“This speech is about fixing decades of decay, some of it obvious, some of it hidden,” Hegseth said, as he strode a stage in front of a massive American flag.