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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told hundreds of junior officers and enlisted leaders this week that the Trump administration has achieved a cultural transformation of the U.S. military, declaring 'clowns out, cowboys in.' His remarks came as roughly a fifth of the military's admirals and generals — about 20 officers — have either resigned or been fired since he took over the Pentagon. The shake-up has intensified debate over politicization of the armed forces, with critics warning the purge could erode military leadership experience while supporters frame it as rooting out a culture they view as overly bureaucratic or ideologically captured.