Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, has explained his top priority for the Pentagon is to return the military to being controlled by actual warfighters.
Unlike many in military leadership, Hegseth has actually fought in combat. The Army veteran served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay — receiving two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman’s Badge. He also served as CEO of Concerned Veterans for America, a prominent veteran’s advocacy organization.
As he actually understands the needs of veterans and current military members, Hegseth naturally believes that the key to reforming the Pentagon is to focus on the warfighters and their needs.
I’m doing this for the warfighters, not the warmongers.
The Left is afraid of disrupters and change agents. They are afraid of @realDonaldTrump—and me. So they smear w/ fake, anonymous sources & BS stories. They don’t want truth.
Our warriors never back down, & neither will I. pic.twitter.com/nDQ5aUlv7i
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) December 4, 2024
Appearing on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity” with host Sean Hannity, Hegseth was asked about the meaning behind that priority.
“There’s a lot to be done. First of all, you salute the commander in chief, who got those 76 million votes, and he’s going to chart the way, and I’ll give him advice and counsel along the way,” Hegseth said.
“I’ll just say what he told me: ‘Return the Pentagon to the warfighters. Pete, get in there and clean up all the social justice, politically correct garbage on top, and get back to lethality, war, fighting, accountability, meritocracy and readiness.’ And guess what? Ninety-five percent of the people in that building the Pentagon and that wear the uniform — that’s all they want to do anyway,” he added.
Hegseth went on to point out that focusing on warfighting would cause positive changes to the culture of the Pentagon and help to fix the recruiting crisis and the retention crisis. He revealed that numerous families had already reached out to tell him that their son or daughter was not planning to join the military, but changed their minds after Trump won the election and nominated Hegseth to lead the Pentagon.
“I’m not going to get ahead of the President on policy or or what our posture will be, but we will be strong, and we will have peace through strength, as Donald Trump has said, and we will put America first. That’s what he’s asked me to do at the Pentagon, and that’s my promise to the American people and our war fighters led by President Donald Trump,” Hegseth concluded.
🚨Pete Hegseth tonight on Fox News:
"Return the Pentagon to the warfighters. Get in there and clean out all the social justice, politically correct garbage on top, and get back to lethality, war-fighting, accountability, meritocracy, and readiness…
pic.twitter.com/JQ4ik1D0k3— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) December 10, 2024
