Back to basics: Hegseth reinstates military DISCIPLINE amid recruitment surge

08/21/2025 / By Zoey Sky

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is reinstating traditional, high-intensity training methods. He believes these practices are essential for building the discipline, mental toughness and resilience needed for modern combat, framing it as a “back to basics” approach to forge effective warriors.
This shift marks a significant change from the previous administration’s priorities, which included a focus on climate change and diversity programs. The current leadership contends that this renewed, unambiguous focus on core warfighting and military tradition is a major reason for improved recruitment.
The new direction is already showing positive results, particularly in recruitment. The Army has met its active-duty recruiting goal for 2025 earlier than it has in over a decade, reversing a previous trend where multiple service branches missed their goals.
To capitalize on this success, Hegseth has launched a military-wide recruitment task force.
Hegseth directly links the recruitment surge to the political environment following the 2024 election, suggesting that the election of Donald Trump created a more favorable national mood for military service.

In a decisive move to strengthen the core of America’s armed forces, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is championing a return to foundational military discipline amid a surge in recruitment.

At the heart of this effort is a reconsideration of traditional, high-intensity training methods like the “shark attack,” signaling a broader cultural recalibration within the Department of Defense (DoD) aimed at rebuilding a singularly focused fighting force. The initiative comes as the military celebrates a significant turnaround in enlistment numbers, particularly within the Army, which has already met its active-duty recruiting goal for 2025, the earliest it has done so in over a decade.

The “shark attack,” a practice once synonymous with the start of Army basic training, involves multiple drill sergeants aggressively swarming new recruits, yelling commands inches from their faces to simulate the chaos and stress of combat.

The Army began phasing out the method several years ago, largely ending it by 2020. It was replaced by a more collaborative exercise known as the “First 100 Yards,” designed to build camaraderie through team-based mental and physical challenges.

Now, Hegseth is actively looking to reinstate the practice. He frames it not as a punitive measure, but as an essential crucible that forges civilians into resilient “warriors.”

Hegseth argues that such time-honored techniques are fundamental to instilling the discipline and mental fortitude required on the modern battlefield. This perspective is part of a larger “back to basics” doctrine he is implementing across the initial training spectrum.

This push extends beyond the shark attack. One Army unit recently reversed a ban on “bay tossing,” another traditional drill sergeant practice where sleeping quarters are overturned to teach attention to detail and accountability under pressure.

For Hegseth, these methods are a restoration of proven standards, not an introduction of new harshness. He believes that by embracing this rigorous, challenging environment, the military can effectively produce the strongest possible warfighters.

Hegseth launches recruitment task force, credits Trump momentum

To capitalize on and institutionalize the recent recruiting successes, Hegseth has also ordered the formation of a new military-wide recruitment task force. The body, which was announced in June, is charged with coordinating efforts across all service branches to overcome obstacles and build upon the current positive momentum.

The task force operates on an ambitious timeline. It is required to deliver an initial assessment of the recruiting environment within 30 days, followed by policy recommendations within 60 days.

A comprehensive communication plan to attract new talent is due within 90 days. The group is composed of subject matter experts from across the DoD in areas like recruitment policy, marketing and public affairs.

In a memo announcing the task force, Hegseth directly linked the surge in recruitment to the political environment following the 2024 election. The memo stated the DoD seeks to capitalize on the gains made since the election of President Donald Trump, suggesting that a change in national leadership and direction has created a more favorable environment for military service. (Related: Trump federalizes D.C. police, deploys National Guard in sweeping crime crackdown.)

This task force is the latest in a series established by Hegseth since his confirmation in January. Others have been tasked with streamlining bureaucracy and improving the efficiency of military moves for service members, indicating a comprehensive approach to reforming Defense Department operations.

The combination of a return to traditional discipline and a strategic, data-driven approach to recruitment is yielding tangible results. The early achievement of the Army’s recruiting goal is a powerful indicator that the new direction is working.

By stripping away what he views as non-essential distractions and reinstating the demanding practices that have forged generations of soldiers, Hegseth is betting that a classic, no-nonsense approach will not only create better warriors but will also inspire a new wave of Americans to answer the call to serve. The early evidence suggests that the bet is paying off.

“Under Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the U.S. military would abandon the woke, weakened and demoralized policies of the Biden era where political correctness, DEI mandates and soft leadership have gutted recruitment, readiness and morale,” Brighteon.AI‘s Enoch noted. “By returning to aggressive, traditional and merit-based training, Hegseth’s reforms would restore warrior culture, end the ‘woke purge’ of strong leaders, unleash real combat training and crush the enemy while inspiring the masses.”

For Hegseth, the mission is clear: to relentlessly pursue a military built on merit, rigor and an unwavering focus on its fundamental purpose – which is to defend the nation.

Watch this edition of “Brighteon Broadcast News” with the Health Ranger Mike Adams about the military and economic collapse of the West.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

Back to basics: Hegseth reinstates military DISCIPLINE amid recruitment surge

Hegseth launches recruitment task force, credits Trump momentum

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