During a recent Pentagon press briefing, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directly addressed criticism over his choice of words when congratulating U.S. bomber crews who executed strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. The controversy arose after Hegseth initially praised “our boys on those bombers,” which some media outlets interpreted as a slight toward the female pilots involved in the operation.
Among the most vocal critics was New York Times Pentagon correspondent John Ismay, who noted in a report that “both men and women have been trained to fly” the B-2 bomber aircraft used in the mission. This led to a pointed exchange at the Thursday briefing when a reporter questioned why Hegseth’s public praise had not explicitly included women.
The Secretary, visibly amused by the question, responded without hesitation. “So, when I say something like ‘our boys in bombers’ — see, this is the kind of thing the press does,” Hegseth said, shaking his head. He explained that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs had already acknowledged one of the female bomber pilots and added, “She’s fantastic. She’s a hero. I want more female bomber pilots.”
Hegseth continued by emphasizing that his use of the phrase “our boys” was a traditional expression of camaraderie and pride in military personnel—not a deliberate exclusion. “I’ll keep saying things like that, whether they’re men or women,” he stated. “I’m very proud of that female pilot, just like I’m very proud of those male pilots.”
He then pivoted to a broader critique of the Pentagon’s recent past focus on identity categories like gender and race. “I don’t care if it’s a male or a female in the cockpit, and the American people don’t care,” Hegseth said. “But it’s the obsession with race and gender in this department that’s changed priorities, and we don’t do that anymore. We don’t play your little games.”
The comments signal a shift in how the Defense Department intends to approach military recognition and internal culture under Hegseth’s leadership. Rather than spotlighting identity markers, Hegseth appeared to reaffirm a merit-first outlook rooted in shared service and sacrifice.
