Netflix is facing sharp criticism from the Pentagon over its new military drama Boots, which tells the story of a gay man joining the U.S. Marine Corps in the 1990s. The Defense Department accused the show of pushing a progressive agenda and dismissed it as “woke garbage.”
The series premiered October 9 and has remained in Netflix’s top ten rankings since its release. It follows Cameron Cope, a closeted teenager who enlists in the Marine Corps during the Clinton-era “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.
Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson issued a blunt statement condemning the show and defending the military’s current priorities under President Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Hegseth, the US military is getting back to restoring the warrior ethos,” Wilson told the New York Post. “Our standards across the board are elite, uniform, and sex-neutral because the weight of a rucksack or a human being doesn’t care if you’re a man, a woman, gay, or straight.”
Wilson added: “We will not compromise our standards to satisfy an ideological agenda, unlike Netflix whose leadership consistently produces and feeds woke garbage to their audience and children.”
The Pentagon’s reaction comes just weeks after Secretary Hegseth unveiled strict new personnel policies. While speaking at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Hegseth called for a “ruthless, dispassionate and common sense application of standards.”
Effective immediately, every member of the joint force is required to take a physical training test twice a year and meet height and weight requirements. Daily physical training is also mandatory, either in units or individually. Hegseth emphasized these measures apply equally from junior enlisted to the Joint Chiefs.
“Standards must be uniform, gender-neutral, and high. If not, they’re not standards. They’re just suggestions. Suggestions that get our sons and daughters killed,” Hegseth said.
The timing of the Boots release has raised concerns inside the Department of Defense. Critics argue the show undermines the military’s renewed focus on readiness and discipline by revisiting outdated identity politics. Netflix has not responded publicly to the Pentagon’s remarks.
