There are few buckets of concerns about Pete Hegseth. One is his views and his behavior, which you almost think is sort of tertiary to the fact that he also has not run a large organization. He’s run a couple of small organizations, and he has apparently done that very badly.
And three is that we are a world in danger at levels not seen since pre-World War I and pre-World War II. We’re really a tinderbox right now, and we need all the care we can give this world.
The biggest concern lies in the third bucket: that he lacks the character to lead the U.S. armed forces, has no experience, and will almost certainly be in over his head during a crisis while trying to advise the President.
The first reaction to this was shock: seeing them sitting inside the Ministry of Defense and saying, “This can’t be real.” The Senate sent a message with a nominee who doesn’t have the overwhelming confidence of the American people’s elected representatives. If someone becomes Secretary of Defense by one tiebreaking vote, that’s a nomination that should have been pulled.
You can do that with the Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of Commerce, but not with the Secretary of Defense.
This choice reflects several reasons. First, there is an intention to embarrass the Senate and bend it to someone’s will. Secondly, the aim is to decapitate and disable functional government by putting in entirely incompetent individuals.
By removing professionals of skilled expertise, the government becomes vulnerable to erratic decisions, taking national security along with it. Hiring unqualified individuals for crucial positions sends a poor message, especially for an organization where any of this behavior would have been disqualifying.
In the military, you cannot be an officer and be guilty of drunkenness, disloyalty, or misappropriation of funds. What message does this send to the troops? Anything goes as long as you’re loyal.
The result is that good people will leave after their service, bad people will rise up, and the military could face systemic corruption. Corruption weakens a military, making it ineffective, which threatens national security.
For the record, Pete Hegseth has denied the allegations of drunkenness and misappropriation of funds. He has said he will give up drinking if made Secretary of Defense.
Despite this, there remains hope. Many good, senior people in the military, committed to risking their lives for the safety of the country, may not roll over for poor leadership.
There are two things happening. One is that some people within the military will see this as a good time to leave federal service. However, the professionalism of the U.S. officer corps, grounded in an apolitical code of service, will keep many doing their best, regardless of who’s at the top.
The Concern Remains
A very weak Secretary of Defense with no experience will not actually be running the place. This will drive people out, especially those unwilling to take orders from lower-level deputies who lack the necessary expertise and leadership.