Why the Pentagon Needs Pete Hegseth

As the nation gears up for Inauguration Day and Congress braces for what is almost sure to be a contentious Cabinet confirmation process this winter, none of Donald Trump’s nominees have been as unfairly scrutinized, castigated, and degraded as Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick to serve as Secretary of Defense.

Slammed by Democrat leaders and their lackeys in the corporate media as “the epitome of white privilege,” “an insult to the American people,” and “unfit” to serve on account of his strong Christian faith, Hegseth is facing a near-unprecedented public relations battle as he prepares for his hearings with the Senate Armed Services Committee, which are expected to commence on January 14.

But despite the left’s incessant outrage surrounding Hegseth’s nomination, an unbiased look at his credentials and the state of the American military apparatus demonstrates that Hegseth is the perfect leader to spearhead much-needed reform at one of our nation’s most vital—and most corrupted—federal agencies.

An Army veteran, Ivy League graduate, and cable news anchor, Hegseth has, in recent years, emerged as one of the most outspoken voices on behalf of military reform, advocating for a new dawn of common sense among our national military leadership.

As Hegseth has repeatedly emphasized, during the Biden years, the Pentagon underwent a jarring shift in mission. Its priorities veered from traditional defense objectives toward implementing progressive social policies and far-left social experiments. Once a universally respected institution charged with maintaining American strength and protecting America’s interests on the world stage, the Department of Defense has since devolved into a hotbed of left-wing radicalism—at the cost of our national security, global respect, and military preparedness.

During the Biden years, for instance, military academies and training programs have emerged as vehicles to indoctrinate American servicemembers with pernicious liberal social ideologies like Critical Race Theory and gender theory. Recruits—many of whom enlisted in the military out of a sense of moral duty and sincere love of country—have instead been met with directives to embrace politically charged frameworks.

The Navy’s Professional Reading Program, for instance, featured works like Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be an Antiracist, part of a concerning pattern that has alienated servicemembers and gravely imperiled military cohesion and morale. Biden’s Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has also openly supported “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” initiatives, further undermining the Pentagon’s mission of training and equipping warfighters to protect the American people.

Moreover, in 2022, the U.S. Navy faced a firestorm of criticism for mandating training on so-called “proper pronoun usage” while funding drag performances on bases and paying for “gender transition” procedures. To top it all off, taxpayer dollars were directed toward facilitating access to abortion procedures for servicemembers.

“Any general that was involved, general, admiral, whatever, that was involved in any of the DEI woke s***, has got to go,” Hegseth said during a recent podcast appearance. “Either you’re in for warfighting, and that’s it. That’s the only litmus test we care about.”

But the Pentagon’s fall from grace extends far beyond its embrace of wokeism. In recent years, the Department of Defense has also been plagued by a pattern of bureaucratic insubordination and stubborn disobedience to the Commander-in-Chief, further suggesting the alarming politicization of the department.

In one of the most egregious instances of this trend, former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley repeatedly criticized Donald Trump. At the same time, he was president—going so far as to reportedly tell his staff in 2020 that he would rather “fight” Trump than resign. And Milley allegedly spoke to a Chinese military official behind Trump’s back to promise he would provide warning in the event of a U.S. attack—yet another extraordinary act of insubordination.

The attitude embodied by Milley and others like him in the upper ranks of the Pentagon reflects the concerning belief of some high-ranking military officials that they have a right to subvert the interests of a duly elected Commander-in-Chief if they feel personally compelled to do so.

Hegseth appears ready to swiftly address this crisis of accountability. “Defense leaders should be searching for ways to reform out-of-date procurement processes, to collapse layers of Pentagon bureaucracy, and to restrain the growth in personnel and benefits costs,” Hegseth has written.

While Hegseth may lack the traditional resume of previous Pentagon chiefs, the Washington D.C. establishment’s fierce opposition to Hegseth is a good sign his confirmation will benefit the future of the military and American national security.

Veterans who served alongside Hegseth in the U.S. Army have praised his leadership, courage, and aptitude for the post. Last month, more than 120 retired U.S. generals and admirals signed a letter expressing their “strong support” for his confirmation, insisting that Hegseth “understands combat from the grassroots level and will take that much-needed perspective with him” as the next Secretary of Defense—and is well-positioned to deliver President Trump’s mandate to make the military “strong and lethal,” and to remove “wokeness” from the U.S. Armed Forces.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has reportedly indicated to Trump that he is confident Hegseth will receive the votes necessary for confirmation. After a turbulent introduction to the nominating process, it appears things are headed in the right direction for Hegseth.

Ultimately, Hegseth’s nomination is not simply about confirming the next Secretary of Defense – it’s about recovering the Pentagon’s abandoned mission, ideals, and role in American life, as well as restoring trust in our military leadership. As such, the battle over Hegseth’s confirmation is a battle for the restoration of our military’s purpose and the future of American freedom.

In the end, this is a battle the American people cannot afford to lose.

Aaron Flanigan is the pen name of a writer in Washington, D.C.