Panetta calls Hegseth address to senior leaders ‘waste of time’

Published October 22, 2025 5:27pm ET



Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta called War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s recent address to hundreds of senior military officers a “waste of time.”

Hegseth announced 10 additional directives designed to further his mission of restoring what he describes as the “warrior ethos” during his highly anticipated address to roughly 800 senior military leaders who came to Quantico, Virginia, from all corners of the globe on September 30.

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