FORT BENNING, Ga. — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday told 77 of the Army’s newest officers that graduating from Officer Candidate School is an impressive feat but only the first step in their military career.

Mr. Hegseth said he didn’t travel from his Pentagon office to Fort Benning in Georgia to offer the new second lieutenants advice on how to live their lives.

“You don’t need it. You decided to come here to this place,” he said. “You decided to go the distance. You decided to join our profession of arms.”

In an apparent dig at the previous administration, Mr. Hegseth said President Trump won’t “tie their hands” when the soldiers take on the nation’s enemies on future battlefields.

“Decisions are pushed down to the lowest possible level. They are made not by politicians and bureaucrats in our faraway capital but by warfighters,” he said. “Warfighters understand the nature of the threat. Warfighters like you.”

Mr. Hegseth, a decorated former Army officer who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, said his short visit to Fort Benning is something of a homecoming for him.

“This place helped me. Back when I didn’t know much about the Army, I came to Fort Benning for my basic training,” he said. “Fort Benning helped me figure out some things.”

• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.