Editor’s Note: Woke Wars, formerly an email newsletter from The Sentinel meant to cover the cultural insurgence of wokeness in our society, is now exclusively available on our website.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is unlike many of his recent predecessors.

The former Fox News television host and Army National Guard officer was never a senior staffer at the Pentagon or an executive at a defense contractor in the military-industrial complex.

Hegseth is also decidedly not woke, nor is he obsessed with diversity, which already sets him apart from now-former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his constant focus on racial identity.

President Donald Trump wanted an unorthodox disruptor to lead the Pentagon rather than an establishment swamp creature, but in many ways Hegseth is returning our military to their roots.

Our military must be an actual military.

Hegseth has especially lauded the “warrior ethos” to which the military should return.

Under his leadership, the Pentagon has scrapped woke recruitment advertisements that seek to emphasize racial or sexual identity, and instead has released advertisements full of service members firing heavy artillery, operating large machinery, and completing rigorous exercise.

Hegseth himself completed physical training with service members during his trip to military bases in Europe, observing that “strength equals readiness.” He said that the morning held “no bureaucracy,” but instead involved “sharp minds, strong bodies, and a mission-first mindset.”

One would struggle to imagine a leader like Austin rising early to run and lift weights in the cold with service members. The fact that Hegseth can do that shows his leadership potential.

Our leaders should lead by example.

The military of our nation needs reform. Often the most effective way to achieve that reform is through leadership that encapsulates the vision they have for those under their command.

Hegseth seems to be that sort of leader. Despite his lack of connection within the Pentagon establishment, Hegseth understands what truly makes our military lethal and effective.

The return of the “warrior ethos” seems to have arrived and could not have come sooner.