Hegseth hands troops 144-page "field manual" of his speeches with Trump foreword
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave troops at his "State of the Force" address a 144-page "Field Manual" collecting his speeches and a Trump message. Coverage so far comes from two left-leaning outlets.
1 / 2
The story, neutrally told
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave service members a 144-page "field manual" made up largely of transcripts of his own speeches. The IndependentLC “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a “field manual” to U.S. service members that is filled with transcripts of his own speeches” Read at The Independent ↗ It also carries a message from President Donald Trump saying: "I will not ask you to fight dumb wars." The IndependentLC “I will not ask you to fight dumb wars.” Read at The Independent ↗ According to Raw Story, citing ABC News reporter Steven Beynon on X, the book went to the 600 troops attending Hegseth's Wednesday speech and bears the cover text "The War Department" and "Field Manual". Raw StoryL “The 144-page book went to the 600 troops attending Hegseth's speech on Wednesday” Read at Raw Story ↗
In the foreword Trump wrote that "reestablishing the DEPARTMENT OF WAR is much more than a name change". Raw StoryL “reestablishing the DEPARTMENT OF WAR is much more than a name change” Read at Raw Story ↗ The manual also reportedly includes Hegseth's September 2025 speech to generals and admirals and his January 2026 speech at SpaceX's Starbase site in Texas. Raw StoryL “The book also includes Hegseth's January 2026 speech at SpaceX's Starbase site in Texas” Read at Raw Story ↗ Hegseth delivered the "State of the Force" address at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, where, per Bloomberg as cited by Raw Story, he attacked coverage of the Iran war. Raw StoryL “Hegseth delivered Wednesday's "State of the Force" address at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia” Read at Raw Story ↗ The IndependentLC “The 144-page manual was handed out ahead of Hegseth’s ‘State of the Force’ address” Read at The Independent ↗
He said press coverage that "smears the troops" was "fundamentally anti-American" and called it "treason", and announced a 20% cut to admirals and generals, according to reports cited by Raw Story. Raw StoryL “It's a national betrayal. It's treason.”“He also announced that the military will cut 20% of its admirals and generals” Read at Raw Story ↗ Critics, including former defense secretaries' speechwriter Luke Schleusener, said the book was "beneath the dignity of the office"; the article quotes only critics of the manual. Raw StoryL “It's beneath the dignity of the office.” Read at Raw Story ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.
Left2 outlets
- Framing
- Both outlets treat the manual as self-promotion and politicised messaging to troops; Raw Story ties it to the Iran war and quotes critics.
- Emphasis
- Hegseth's own speeches filling the book, Trump's "dumb wars" line set against the ongoing Iran war, and critic reaction.
- Leaves out or plays down
- No comment from Hegseth, the Pentagon or supporters explaining the manual's purpose.
- Charged language
- “damning detail”“Beneath the dignity”
- For example
-
“is filled with transcripts of his own speeches” — The Independent
“Critics spot damning detail in Hegseth's new manual to troops” — Raw Story
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- The manual is 144 pages and consists largely of Hegseth's speeches.
- It includes a Trump message saying he will not ask troops to fight "dumb wars".
Pete Hegseth person
Hegseth used the State of the Force address to attack media coverage of the war as anti-American; no statement on the manual itself is reported.
“partisan activism that intentionally smears the troops and the historic mission that they are undertaking is fundamentally anti-American” — Raw Story
Donald Trump person
Trump's message says the goal is peace, that he will not ask troops to fight "dumb wars", and that restoring the Department of War is more than a name change.
“Our goal is PEACE, which is why we prepare for War” — Raw Story
Left2 articles
-
Critical Stresses that the manual is filled with Hegseth's own speeches alongside Trump's 'dumb wars' pledge.
-
Raw StoryL · · Opinion
Critics spot damning detail in Hegseth's new manual to troops: 'Beneath the dignity'
Critical Opinion-style piece compiling critic reactions and contrasting Trump's pledge with the Iran war.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 30 Sep 20:15 First The IndependentLC Hegseth’s new ‘field manual’ for troops is filled with his speeches and Trump promising not to fight ‘dumb wars’
- 30 Sep 21:58 +1h 43m Raw StoryL Critics spot damning detail in Hegseth's new manual to troops: 'Beneath the dignity' Opinion
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.