The Militarization Of Mediocrity— Inside The Revolt Against Pete Hegseth

I wonder if Putin recommended that Trump hire Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense... you know, as a favor to his old pal Señor Trumpanzyy.

PUTIN (chuckling on a secure line from Sochi): Donald, my friend, you need a warrior. Not one of these paper generals with medals— someone who knows how to swing a baseball bat at a TV. You want someone who hates the Pentagon almost as much as it hates you. Someone who’ll confuse discipline with CrossFit, and geopolitics with segment notes from Fox & Friends. Peter Hegseth!

TRUMP: Yes, yes, very strong man energy. Plus, he looks great on Fox— tough jaw, firm hair. Very pro-America, which is, frankly, very good for Russia. And he looks fantastic in camo. Plus, he’s got that ‘alpha dad’ thing going on. I mean, the guy installed a makeup studio in the Pentagon. That’s thinking ahead.

PUTIN: Exactly. And he has no idea how the Pentagon works, which is perfect. You want someone who confuses a Joint Chiefs briefing with a Duck Dynasty rerun. And you say he's purging the officer corps based on razor bumps and prayer attendance?

TRUMP (grinning): Total genius. We’re calling it Operation Shave and Pray.

PUTIN: You truly are building an empire of excellence. Or at least… entertainment.

TRUMP: We’ve got a Golden Dome, Pete lifting weights in combat boots, and a prayer group in every corridor. It's like Planet Fitness meets The Handmaid’s Tale.

Now men less loyal to America and Trump than Putin are denouncing Hegseth as unfit to serve. Susan Greene reported that “since May, drafts of a letter have been circulating among high and mid-level military brass and civilian workers to ‘Let the American public know this guy has no clue what he's doing,’ one of them told the Daily Mail.” Supposedly this “letter calling for his ouster won't be made public until next week at the earliest. 

Each said the letter calling for his ouster won't be made public until next week at the earliest. [The secret sources] described its contents in the meantime— with complaints ranging from politicized decision-making to department-wide dysfunction, low morale and a climate of paranoia driven by what they describe as Hegseth's obsession with rooting out dissent. They also pointed to his preoccupation with optics, citing his installation of a makeup studio inside the Pentagon, his staged photo ops lifting weights with the troops, and his new grooming and shaving policy for servicemen. ‘He has branded himself the epitome of his so-called warrior ethos that he's always talking about,’ one insider said, adding that Hegseth appears to be reshaping the military into ‘a cross between a sweat lodge and WWE.’ They said the letter decries the Defense Secretary for issuing orders and setting policies without considering— or even hearing— input from intelligence, security and legal advisors.”

As all three insiders told us, the letter also cites dysfunction and chaos in the department due to what they said are Hegseth's inattention to, indecision on, and inconsistencies regarding several military matters, big and small.  

Those include defining the role the U.S. military should play in space and setting a realistic timeline for building the ‘Golden Dome’ missile defense system, a top military goal for Trump. 

They also include clarifying the channels by which Pentagon personnel should and should not communicate with each other. 

One insider said Hegseth's top aides are clamping down on contact between workers, even when there's no security, professional or ethical reason to do so.

The insiders described what they perceive as Hegseth's extreme distrust of the military and civilian personnel who work in the Pentagon, especially senior staffers who speak out when best practices are sidestepped or institutional memory ignored. 

They said Hegseth's preoccupation with sussing out leakers and critics in the department has caused bureaucratic logjams, brought some basic, but essential military business to a standstill and triggered a sense of paranoia throughout the building.

One of the officials said that some Pentagon personnel feel pressured to attend the Christian prayer services Hegseth has arranged during work hours, even though they're supposed to be optional.

Two spoke of disdain among many Defense officials about the Secretary's preoccupation with optics— token gestures they said have little to do with defense. 

They cited the makeup studio the former Fox News personality and fitness buff had installed at the Pentagon and his insistence on being photographed lifting weights and doing push ups with troops.

… One also cited last month's mobilization of about 4,000 National Guard troops in response to protests over immigration raids in Los Angeles as an example of Hegseth ignoring his department's advice.  

“Nobody in the building thought that was a wise idea,” one of the insiders said.

Few in the Pentagon also support Hegseth's efforts to undo diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and eradicate what he calls “wokeness” in the military by restoring the names of military bases that had previously honored Confederate generals.

That insider said Hegseth's repeated criticism of diversity policies has led to “far more” racist incidents than before the Secretary took office.

He noted that Hegseth's anti-wokeness agenda also has prompted suspicions among many non-white service members and DOD staffers that their job performance is being scrutinized more closely than those of their white colleagues.

“Some people are being looked at as if they don't deserve their positions,” he said. “The effect that has on productivity can't be overstated.”

… The letter is written but, as the planned launch date [Friday, July 25] nears, organizers are undecided about whether it should be signed only by the few people willing to jeopardize their careers, or if there's a way to organize broader engagement throughout the military by protecting signers' identities.

The group is in discussion with a public relations advisor, tech consultant and community organizers in hopes of finding a way to broadcast their complaints far and wide throughout the U.S. while limiting the risk of retaliation.

“We need to believe it's possible,” one of the officials told us, adding that a solution, if one exists, may not be feasible before next week.

The effort comes after Hegseth— a former Army National Guard officer who had limited experience running large, complicated organizations— got off to a bumpy start leading the country's biggest bureaucracy.

During his confirmation process, critics raised concerns about his treatment of women and issues with alcohol. 

Three Republican senators, including Mitch McConnell, voted against his appointment, and Vice President J.D. Vance cast a tie-breaking vote.

… Trump, at least outwardly, has been steadfast in supporting Hegseth, who arranged for the military parade the president long had wanted, but was denied by Pentagon officials in his first term in office. 

Hegseth also embraces Trump's “America First” ideas.

The Secretary's willingness to carry out Trump's isolationist goals was starkly clear this week when he abruptly pulled about a dozen high-ranking military speakers from the Aspen Security Forum. 

The four-day summit in Colorado has for years drawn officials from Republican and Democratic administrations to publicly share ideas with the world's leading national security and foreign policy experts.

In a statement to Just the News, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson derided the event for promoting “the evil of globalism, disdain for our great country, and hatred for the President of the United States.”

One attendee of the conference told the Daily Mail last Thursday that the Defense Department's absence from the event is a “worrisome sign” that Hegseth is sealing the military off from outside opinions and potentially helpful input.

Another called the cancellation “boneheaded.”

Hard to believe it but now, as the wheels come off what was once the world’s most formidable military institution, the man in charge is busy filming slow-mo deadlifts in tactical gear while purging officers for not posting enough about “warrior spirit” on social media. Hegseth’s Pentagon looks less like a defense headquarters and more like an influencer bootcamp for insecure alpha males with podcasts. Between the mandatory prayer circles, the Confederate world of make-believe, and the Orwellian clampdown on internal communication, it’s clear that the only war this Secretary is serious about waging is the one against competence.

While senior staff weigh whether to risk their careers to speak out, Hegseth has doubled down— yanking military leaders from national security forums, cheering on immigration crackdowns and spreading the gospel of “America First” isolationism with all the subtlety of a Monster Energy ad. It’s no surprise Trump loves him. Hegseth gives him everything he wants: loyalty, spectacle and just enough chaos to keep the real professionals sidelined. Putin couldn’t have scripted it better himself.

Oh, and speaking of real professionals... have you seen the new episode of South Park yet? You'll have to make a couple of extra clicks to confirm you're old enough to watch filth on YouTube, but it is so worth it. Remember, the corporate parent is Paramount, which fired Colbert and had earlier bribed Trump with $16 million over his 60 Minutes anger. Anyway, you should really watch this: