CNN
—
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense, has an unconventional background for the post, but in recent years he has worked with retired four-star generals such as Jim Mattis and Lloyd Austin; Major players in Washington, including Mr. Leon, held the job. Panetta and Robert Gates, both of whom served as CIA Directors.
Hegseth served honorably in the U.S. Army, retiring as a major, and his most recent job was as an anchor for Fox News. Given Hegseth’s relative lack of relevant experience managing the Department of Defense, one of the world’s largest organizations and the world’s most powerful military, the key issues to address are: Does Heges’ understanding of the state of the American military correspond to reality?
A great place to dig into Hegseth’s core beliefs on this is his latest book, “War with Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of those Who Keep Us Free,” published in June.
Hegseth’s book is a bizarre mix of slogans and unsubstantiated claims about a “Marxist” and “woke” US military. The book is 228 pages long, with no footnotes and few facts to support its claims, some of which are questionable at best.
Hegseth devotes a chapter of his book to condemning “trans” soldiers in the U.S. military, whom he portrays as a key pillar of the Pentagon’s supposedly “woke” policies.
This is a pretty big red herring. A 2016 study by RAND estimated that there are between 1,320 and 6,630 transgender people on active duty, and between 830 and 4,160 in the reserves. Consider the upper estimate. That’s 10,790 people. Approximately 2 million people serve in the military, both active and in the reserves, so even at a high estimate, about 0.5% of military members are transgender. Therefore, for many in the U.S. military, serving with a transgender person is unlikely.
But Hegseth says it’s difficult to attract recruits to serve in uniform because of the “woke” and “Marxist” policies highlighted by the presence of trans soldiers in the U.S. military. In fact, the real draft problem is not caused by a small number of trans soldiers. That includes the shrinking number of Americans eligible for military service and the fact that with low unemployment rates, the military is just one of many jobs available to young Americans. It is further influenced by unconventional factors.
A record number of military-age Americans (77%) are ineligible to join the U.S. military because they are obese, take drugs, have a criminal history, or have a medical problem, according to a 2020 study by the Department of Defense. There is no. Additionally, as a result of the declining birth rate in the United States, there are fewer people in the right age group to serve in the U.S. military, resulting in fewer recruits, and thus fewer students applying to college in the United States. There is.
All of these factors have nothing to do with Hegseth’s claim that the US military is at the center of wokeness, embracing, in his words, “trans-madness.”
Additionally, Hegseth said, “We’re going to have to lay off a lot of people” at the Pentagon. A particular target of Hesgeth’s ire is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown, who is black. Hegseth portrays Brown as an officer obsessed with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Hegseth quoted an anonymous U.S. military officer as saying that “total readiness is in serious jeopardy” due to a “woke Marxist” military, and that the U.S. military is rapidly deploying into combat. He talked about the capabilities of his troops. In fact, the readiness rate is higher than it has been in years. “Currently, 60 percent of our active-duty forces are at peak readiness and could potentially deploy to combat within 30 days,” then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley testified before a Congressional committee last year. .
CNN has reached out to the Trump administration’s transition office for comment on the claims in Hegseth’s book.
In his book, Hegseth goes into great detail about the role of women in combat, as women are less capable of fighting. Indeed, very few women pass the “Q” course and become U.S. Special Forces soldiers.
But just like in the Israeli military, women serve in many important roles in the U.S. military, something Hegseth seemed to publicly acknowledge Wednesday when she told reporters: All over the world, in our Department of Defense, they provide critical aspects in all aspects, including combat, and they have been doing so for… quite a while. ”
Like other Republicans, Hegseth wants answers about who was responsible for America’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in the summer of 2021. Mr. Hegseth faults the U.S. military when it could and did simply follow the Biden administration’s order to withdraw all troops. Instead, the State Department failed to plan for an orderly evacuation until it was too late.
Hegseth also claims that “coastal elites” are compulsory military service against those in military service. This is an odd claim, considering that 18% of the 118th Congress are veterans, while the Census Bureau estimates that 6% of the total U.S. population are veterans. Military service appears to be a blessing to voters across the country.
Hegseth writes eloquently about his time serving in the Iraq War, when he worked at Bear Stearns in New York City, “crunching numbers on Excel spreadsheets for boring meetings with really wealthy bankers. It was a sharp contrast to his previous job. Hesgeth’s account of the fighting in Iraq, where the war reached its climax and where he earned the first of two Bronze Star medals, is the least controversial and most interesting part of his book. be.
But after a decade and a half, his military career was over. Hegseth, considered a possible Christian nationalist extremist because of his Jerusalem cross tattoo, was seen attending President Joe Biden’s inauguration in January 2021 (just two weeks until the inauguration) in Washington, D.C. He claims he was prevented from serving in the National Guard. (after the riot by Trump supporters at the U.S. Capitol). But it was a different tattoo, one that read “Deus Vult” (Latin for “will of God” and associated with the Crusades), according to the Associated Press. told him to stay at home.
Hegseth appears to have been quite bitter about the experience, and as a result it was several months before he last wore the uniform.
Hegseth’s book is an indictment of the supposed wokeness of the U.S. military and the insensitivity of military leaders like General Brown, who purportedly carry out woke policies. If Mr. Hegseth becomes defense secretary, there could be conflict between him and the nation’s top generals, particularly over the issue of transgender soldiers.
There is also the possibility of a fight over the question of “Who lost Afghanistan?” — Hegses squarely blames the generals for this.
Mr. Hegseth is silent in his book about the big issues that future defense secretaries will have to face, such as the possibility of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. The CIA director credits Chinese President Xi Jinping with directing the military to be ready to occupy the island by 2027. Mr. Hegseth’s views on these types of issues will likely have to wait for his confirmation hearing, but for now it looks like it will happen. Given Trump’s continued strong support, things should go smoothly.
