Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday issued one of the most forceful statements yet of the Trump administration’s national security posture, declaring that the Pentagon is shifting to a “wartime footing” and readying its forces in case America’s adversaries decide to “FAFO”—a phrase popular among younger troops meaning, as Hegseth put it, to “f*ck around and find out.”
In a detailed announcement from the Pentagon, Hegseth said the department is accelerating efforts to streamline weapons testing, modernize equipment, and boost readiness across all branches of the armed forces. “We are not just buying something. We are solving life-and-death problems for our war fighters,” he said. “We’re not building for peacetime; we are pivoting the Pentagon and industrial base to a wartime footing. Building for victory should our adversaries FAFO.”
Hegseth, a former Army officer and longtime advocate for military reform, said the Pentagon has grown too slow and bureaucratic in developing and deploying weapons systems. “Testing early and often is essential at early stages of development, but testing for the sake of testing inhibits progress and delays delivery,” he said. The new initiative, he added, will deliver a plan to “streamline test and evaluation requirements,” cutting red tape that has left critical systems idle or incomplete for years.
The secretary said the reforms would include new “portfolio scorecards” designed to hold defense contractors accountable and ensure faster delivery of modern weaponry. “We are mandating portfolio scorecards with primary performance measures focusing on what truly matters: the time it takes to put weapons in the hands of our men and women who use it if and when necessary,” Hegseth said.
He also highlighted the need to fix the Pentagon’s maintenance backlog and address widespread equipment downtime. “Far too many systems are not able to fight right now as they languish in depots and shipyards for repairs and maintenance, or wait years for parts and the prime contractor to repair the system,” he said. “We will maximize the number of weapons systems that are available for conflict. The faster we can deliver modern weapons systems, the faster we can retire decades-old legacy systems.”
The announcement signals an assertive shift in defense planning at a time when the Trump administration is ramping up its global posture, particularly in the Western Hemisphere. President Donald Trump has recently floated the idea of limited land strikes in Venezuela as part of a broader effort to combat drug trafficking into the United States.
The administration has already conducted a series of airstrikes in the Caribbean and Pacific against suspected smuggling vessels, though officials have provided little detail to Congress about the operations. Nearly 70 people have been reported killed in the strikes.
Hegseth’s remarks underscore a renewed confidence in American military power and a willingness to act decisively. For many in Washington, they also mark a clear break from what conservatives have long criticized as years of complacency and overregulation at the Pentagon.
As one senior defense official put it after Hegseth’s speech: “The message is simple—America’s enemies should think twice before testing us.”
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