Hegseth Mulls Eliminating Army’s Ban on ‘Shark Attack’ Training

Hegseth Mulls Eliminating Army’s Ban on ‘Shark Attack’ Training

Ahmad Austin Jr. Aug 8th, 2025, 10:54 am

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday explained why he plans to bring back the military tradition of having drill sergeants scream at recruits at the start of basic training.

The defense secretary appeared on Thursday’s episode of . When Cain brought up Hegseth’s vow to “make basic training great again,” he specifically asked about one exercise known as “shark attacks.” In basic training, the exercise involves numerous drill sergeants swarming individual recruits and yelling at them.

Hegseth initially laughed when Cain brought it up. Then, he explained why he believes it’s actually an effective training exercise:

Well, it’s the basic stuff that anyone who went through any