Pete Hegseth-Sec Def Nominee

[sqwakvfr]

As a combat veteran like Hegseth I believe  his nomination as Secretary of Defense is a mistake.  Hegseth has degrees from 2 Ivy League Univeristies and is an Iraq Combat veteran but there are two things that concern me about him:  1) He has been with Fox News for a long time (8 years) 2) He has publicly demonstrated absolute loyalty to Donald Trump.  Can he be objective and disagree with POTUS? 

 

Hegseth rose to the rank of Captain and this is not a big deal because the rank of Capatin (O-3) is not difficult to achieve.  There are many captains running around in the armed forces. Sec Def is an executive level position that requires skills Hegseth has never displayed or demonstrated that he has experience in.  This nomination appears to be a reward for loyalty. 

 

 He might be in over his head or he could shock everyone and do a great job.  We shall see. 

[novacova]

6 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

He has been with Fox News for a long time (8 years) 2) He has publicly demonstrated absolute loyalty to Donald Trump.

Irrelevant.

6 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

Sec Def is an executive level position that requires skills Hegseth has never displayed or demonstrated that he has experience in.  This nomination appears to be a reward for loyalty.

True and was a little perturbed by the selection as well. The military is highly regimented, high ranking officers have the discipline, insight and respect of the business 

[sqwakvfr]

2 hours ago, novacova said:

Irrelevant.

True and was a little perturbed by the selection as well. The military is highly regimented, high ranking officers have the discipline, insight and respect of the business 

I used to watch Fox & Friends  on the weekends where Hegseth is one of the hosts and watching him act like a clown at times was cringeworthy. Just can't imagine him holding a staff meeting wih the JCS.  In essence a TV personality who is a veteran has been nominated to one of the most important positions in the cabinet. 

[BigStar]

54 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

I used to watch Fox & Friends  on the weekends where Hegseth is one of the hosts and watching him act like a clown at times was cringeworthy. Just can't imagine him holding a staff meeting wih the JCS.  In essence a TV personality who is a veteran has been nominated to one of the most important positions in the cabinet. 

 

 

[novacova]

10 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

Just can't imagine him holding a staff meeting wih the JCS.

Why? Do you personally know him and had meetings with him?

10 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

In essence a TV personality who is a veteran has been nominated to one of the most important positions in the cabinet.

Again, irrelevant.

 

I don’t know anything about him as far as his ability to execute the office of defense sec. Though not being a MIC insider is a plus. Just have to wait how it washes out during the confirmation process and his performance in office just like the rest. One thing I won’t do is rave about anyone who hasn’t shown me anything about what they’re expecting to execute without a past record of experience.

13 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

He might be in over his head or he could shock everyone and do a great job.  We shall see.

Of course, wait and see.

[pattayasan]

4 minutes ago, novacova said:

Why? Do you personally know him and had meetings with him?

Again, irrelevant.

 

I don’t know anything about him as far as his ability to execute the office of defense sec. Though not being a MIC insider is a plus. Just have to wait how it washes out during the confirmation process and his performance in office just like the rest. One thing I won’t do is rave about anyone who hasn’t shown me anything about what they’re expecting to execute without a past record of experience.

Of course, wait and see.

 

How does being a TV anchor for 8 years qualify Hegseth for SecDef?

[NickyLouie]

8 minutes ago, pattayasan said:

 

How does being a TV anchor for 8 years qualify Hegseth for SecDef?

 

So a General on the board or being a paid consultant of multiple defence contractors is better in your opinion...

 

Trump is putting together a dream team 

 

Elon Musk, Tom Holman et al.

[pattayasan]

1 minute ago, NickyLouie said:

 

So a General on the board or being a paid consultant of multiple defence contractors is better in your opinion...

 

Trump is putting together a dream team 

 

Elon Musk, Tom Holman et al.

 

That's a deflection. Obviously you can't answer my question.

[NickyLouie]

4 minutes ago, pattayasan said:

 

That's a deflection. Obviously you can't answer my question.

 

Sit back and watch, there is absolutely nothing else you can do.

 

Dream Team 

 

[novacova]

20 minutes ago, pattayasan said:

 

How does being a TV anchor for 8 years qualify Hegseth for SecDef?

Never implied it does. 

[novacova]

23 minutes ago, pattayasan said:

 

How does being a TV anchor for 8 years qualify Hegseth for SecDef?

Was his only job a TV anchor? Or maybe you’re unaware that he has military background. Wait for the confirmation hearings and come back with a good rant. If he fails, then I’ll be right there with you.

[pattayasan]

6 minutes ago, novacova said:

Was his only job a TV anchor? Or maybe you’re unaware that he has military background. Wait for the confirmation hearings and come back with a good rant. If he fails, then I’ll be right there with you.

 

Hegseth defended service members accused of war crimes and in 2019, he urged Trump to pardon US service members who had been accused of war crimes. According to The Washington Post, Hegseth’s lobbying of Trump in 2019 resulted in the pardon of two service members who were accused of murder, and the reinstatement of rank of a third who was found guilty of posing with a body in Iraq.

 

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/11/13/who-is-pete-hegseth-the-pro-israel-fox-news-host-picked-to-head-pentagon

[sqwakvfr]

8 hours ago, NickyLouie said:

 

So a General on the board or being a paid consultant of multiple defence contractors is better in your opinion...

 

Trump is putting together a dream team 

 

Elon Musk, Tom Holman et al.

You mean retired general? An active duty general cannot be a paid consultant.  

[sqwakvfr]

8 hours ago, novacova said:

Was his only job a TV anchor? Or maybe you’re unaware that he has military background. Wait for the confirmation hearings and come back with a good rant. If he fails, then I’ll be right there with you.

Ok.  So what makes a person qualified to run the largest Federal Agency in the US Government:

 

1 Annual budget of over $800 Billion

2. Close to 1 million men and women on active duty

3. Close to 1 million civilian employees in the DOD

4. Hundreds of military bases in Asia, Europe and Middle East

 

Hegseth was a commissioned officer in the Minnesota Army National Guard with deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and was assigned to Guantanamo, Cuba where he was part of the detainee operations.  Also, he won the Bronze Star so that is significant.  Many servicemembers have been deployed to both places and this includes myself.  It does not appear he held a command position such as company commander or even as a battalion commander.  His last military status was as a member of the IRR(Individual Ready Reserve). 

 

Just like you let's see how his confirmation hearing goes?  The DOD is serious business and like many veterans we are concerned as to where the "bucks stops" at the Pentagon. 

 

 

[Yagoda]

10 hours ago, novacova said:

Was his only job a TV anchor? Or maybe you’re unaware that he has military background. Wait for the confirmation hearings and come back with a good rant. If he fails, then I’ll be right there with you.

Perhaps the ones yowling and screeching with their leftover Trump obsession could take the time to read Petes book? Maybe then you will understand why this 44 year old OUTSIDER combat vet got picked.

 

But that would entail reading a book, and we know how Lefties despise the written word, preferring social media and instagram

[herfiehandbag]

There is something to be said for occasionally thinking outside the box!

 

However Mr Trump's thought processes seem to be being conducted in the howling voids of outer space!

 

Actually, on further consideration, perhaps this is where Elon Musk comes into the game - he does, after all, have access to the technology to recover errant things from outer space!

[sqwakvfr]

18 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

Perhaps the ones yowling and screeching with their leftover Trump obsession could take the time to read Petes book? Maybe then you will understand why this 44 year old OUTSIDER combat vet got picked.

 

But that would entail reading a book, and we know how Lefties despise the written word, preferring social media and instagram

I am not a Trumper, not MAGA, not a Dem or a leftie but Hegseth has written 6 books but does that make him a good fit as Sectreaty of Defense? I don't know it will be up to the Senate. Of course Republicans have a majority and a simple majority vote is needed for a cabinet appointment.  

[Hanaguma]

6 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

I am not a Trumper, not MAGA, not a Dem or a leftie but Hegseth has written 6 books but does that make him a good fit as Sectreaty of Defense? I don't know it will be up to the Senate. Of course Republicans have a majority and a simple majority vote is needed for a cabinet appointment.  

He was not a Company CO but he was a platoon commander, and led his men into battle in Iraq. Effectively, as is evidenced by his Bronze Star with V (meaning for heroism).  The DoD needs more warfighters and fewer bureaucrats.  Whether he works out or not remains to be seen, but the intention of his choice is clear- the purpose of the military is to break things and kill people. Not to be a DEI project or social experiment.

[Yagoda]

11 minutes ago, sqwakvfr said:

I am not a Trumper, not MAGA, not a Dem or a leftie but Hegseth has written 6 books but does that make him a good fit as Sectreaty of Defense? I don't know it will be up to the Senate. Of course Republicans have a majority and a simple majority vote is needed for a cabinet appointment.  

Well a good fit would not be having some Washington swamp thing again.

 

I cant wait to watch him run rings around the Dems at his hearings.

[Hummin]

All Trump need and want, is Yes people, who do what he says, not real men and women who can tell him their opinion and the truth!

 

How many will he fire this time?

[sqwakvfr]

8 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

He was not a Company CO but he was a platoon commander, and led his men into battle in Iraq. Effectively, as is evidenced by his Bronze Star with V (meaning for heroism).  The DoD needs more warfighters and fewer bureaucrats.  Whether he works out or not remains to be seen, but the intention of his choice is clear- the purpose of the military is to break things and kill people. Not to be a DEI project or social experiment.

In the Army we use the term Platoon Leader.  As for the DOD it is a mess and yes DEI needs to go but Sec Def has a long list on a daily basis.  As an outsider to the Pentagon he would offer a fresh perspective but he has to work with "old men" in uniform who have been in place for decades.  If confirmed this will be the most difficult hurdle to overcome. 

[Hanaguma]

1 minute ago, sqwakvfr said:

In the Army we use the term Platoon Leader.  As for the DOD it is a mess and yes DEI needs to go but Sec Def has a long list on a daily basis.  As an outsider to the Pentagon he would offer a fresh perspective but he has to work with "old men" in uniform who have been in place for decades.  If confirmed this will be the most difficult hurdle to overcome. 

Noted. In the Canadian Amed Forces they were platoon commanders back in my day.  I wish him luck.

[Smokey and the Bandit]

He served in Afghanistan and Iraq ,only 44 years old,  he is very much in touch with the troops he has a Masters in Foreign Policy, he is smart articulate and anti woke and believes females do not belong in combat roles! Excellent pick!

[LosLobo]

26 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

He was not a Company CO but he was a platoon commander, and led his men into battle in Iraq. Effectively, as is evidenced by his Bronze Star with V (meaning for heroism).  The DoD needs more warfighters and fewer bureaucrats.  Whether he works out or not remains to be seen, but the intention of his choice is clear- the purpose of the military is to break things and kill people. Not to be a DEI project or social experiment.

The job of the DoD isn’t about glorifying combat or just to "break things and kill people"—it’s about ensuring the safety of the country through a balanced approach that includes defense, diplomacy, and national interest, not just being a 'warrior.

[jaywalker2]

The problem is nobody in the military is going to take him seriously. Just as the bureaucrats in the intelligence agencies won't take Tulsi Gabbard seriously (they already think she's a Russian agent). The question is whether Republicans will confirm them.

[BigStar]

5 hours ago, Hummin said:

All Trump need and want, is Yes people, who do what he says, not real men and women who can tell him their opinion and the truth!

 

All Presidents choose cabinet members compatible w/ their own views. Liberals, also according to DEI. DEI picks are liberals anyway but dumber than average. Pete Buttigieg, gay small town mayor who couldn't fix a pothole, becomes Secretary of Transportation--with predictable poor results.

 

5 hours ago, Hummin said:

How many will he fire this time?

 

As many as necessary, but he may have learned to be a better judge of the kind of personnel he needs. He admits he didn't do so well last time. But the good news is that he does fire people. How many did Biden fire over the Afghan debacle?

 

[John Drake]

Could not possibly be worse than:

 

Rumsfeld

Gates

Panetta

and especially Austin, who disappeared into a hospital without telling anyone, allowed a Chinese surveillance balloon to leisurely float across the entire country, and engineered a crisis in recruitment

[John Drake]

It's all the "qualified" people who get the head nodding that have put us in the mess we're in. Do not want more of the same.

[Jingthing]

11 minutes ago, John Drake said:

It's all the "qualified" people who get the head nodding that have put us in the mess we're in. Do not want more of the same.

So a random garbage man is OK to you then?
He's about as qualified as a random garbage man.

This pick is insanely dangerous.

Trump the biggest con man grifter and TROLL in history marches on.

The Trump regret vote movement has already started.

[John Drake]

5 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

So a random garbage man is OK to you then?
He's about as qualified as a random garbage man.

This pick is insanely dangerous.

Trump the biggest con man grifter and TROLL in history marches on.

The Trump regret vote movement has already started.

 

I don't disparage the lives of garbagemen. Their lives are just as valuable as yours and mine. There are already far too many "experts" out there who think by virtue of who they know, where they studied, and who their family is that it gives them a right to dispose of the lives and careers of people of every social status below theirs.