Pete Hegseth Pledges to Restore Warrior Ethos in U.S. Military

[metisdead]

An off topic deflection post and a reply has been removed. 

[johnnybangkok]

On 1/16/2025 at 11:53 AM, johnnybangkok said:

There's whataboutism and there's Yagoda whataboutism - in a league of it's own.

 

And he's not more qualified than 99% of the folks in the world as qualifications for this role SHOULD be as demanding as the office itself. So lets compare him to the current defence secretary Lloyd James Austin III - 'Before retiring from the military in 2016, Austin served as the 12th commander of United States Central Command (CENTCOM). Prior to that he served as the 33rd vice chief of staff of the Army from January 2012 to March 2013, and as commander of United States Forces – Iraq from September 2010 to December 2011. He is the first African American to hold each of these positions. After retiring from the armed services, Austin joined the boards of Raytheon Technologies, Nucor, Tenet Healthcare, and Auburn University. Austin holds the unique distinction of having commanded in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan at the one-, two-, three- and four-star levels, and was the first African American to command a division, corps, and field army in combat. He is a recipient of the Silver Star, the nation's third highest award for valor, for his actions during the Iraq invasion, as well as five Defense Distinguished Service Medals.'   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secretary_of_Defense

 

Better than this?

Here's my argument which as usual you have chosen to ignore YellowTail.

 

In comparison to the current Defence Secretary, Hegseth is VASTLY underqualified. 

[RJRS1301]

Warrior ethos?

Pillage, rape, plunder ?

Kill to give you democracy as USA are so noted for

Invasion to assist the USA economy to sell more arms?

Has he any experience except alleged sexual misconduct & a pisshead 

[Yellowtail]

1 minute ago, johnnybangkok said:

Here's my argument which as usual you have chosen to ignore YellowTail.

 

In comparison to the current Defence Secretary, Hegseth is VASTLY underqualified. 

Why?

 

Because he's not black, has not been on the board of Raytheon, has not surrendered Afghanistan, has not abandoned tens of billions of weapons and equipment and left them for terrorist, and does not support the left's DEI initiatives? 

 

Or is it just because he's a Major instead of a General? If you're a leftist, being a community organizer qualifies you to be the Commander in Chief, yes? 

 

A lot of people believe the military has been poorly run, and they do not blame the enlisted personal. 

 

If you want to have an honest discussion. just point out what makes Lloyd Austin more qualified than Pete Hegseth. 

 

To be clear, I am not a big fan of Hegseth and less so since the hearings. But I believe he will be confirmed, and I belied he will be a big improvement. 

[johnnybangkok]

5 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

Why?

 

Because he's not black, has not been on the board of Raytheon, has not surrendered Afghanistan, has not abandoned tens of billions of weapons and equipment and left them for terrorist, and does not support the left's DEI initiatives? 

 

Or is it just because he's a Major instead of a General? If you're a leftist, being a community organizer qualifies you to be the Commander in Chief, yes? 

 

A lot of people believe the military has been poorly run, and they do not blame the enlisted personal. 

 

If you want to have an honest discussion. just point out what makes Lloyd Austin more qualified than Pete Hegseth. 

 

To be clear, I am not a big fan of Hegseth and less so since the hearings. But I believe he will be confirmed, and I belied he will be a big improvement. 

Not sure why I have to explain this to you but I'll try.

 

Let's firstly ignore your inane 'DEI initiatives' or trying to make Austin personally responsible for the Afghanistan withdrawal fiasco, Austin has more experience at a higher military level than Hegseth having served as the 33rd vice chief of staff of the Army and as commander of United States Forces. He holds the unique distinction of having commanded in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan at the 1, 2, 3 and 4 -star levels. He is a recipient of the Silver Star, as well as five Defense Distinguished Service Medals.'

 

Hegseth on the other hand reached the lofty rank of infantry officer in the Minnesota National Guard and although he served in Iraq, first as an infantry platoon leader and later as civil-military operations officer he has never reached anywhere near the heights of Austin. He volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan to train Afghan security forces and was promoted to the rank of major but left active duty to be assigned to the Army Individual Ready Reserve. He therefore lacks operational expertise and in-depth military knowledge as has nowhere near the business experience to oversea the millions of people in the miltary and the $820 billion budget. If the job was in the private sector, he wouldn't even make the shortlist.  

 

This is what what makes Lloyd Austin more qualified than Pete Hegseth. 

[Will B Good]

 

 

OMG…..…it took him 10 years to get to captain??? No wonder he drank so much…… with all the fuss I assumed he was at least a colonel.

[Yellowtail]

14 minutes ago, johnnybangkok said:

Not sure why I have to explain this to you but I'll try.

 

Let's firstly ignore your inane 'DEI initiatives' or trying to make Austin personally responsible for the Afghanistan withdrawal fiasco, Austin has more experience at a higher military level than Hegseth having served as the 33rd vice chief of staff of the Army and as commander of United States Forces. He holds the unique distinction of having commanded in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan at the 1, 2, 3 and 4 -star levels. He is a recipient of the Silver Star, as well as five Defense Distinguished Service Medals.'

 

Hegseth on the other hand reached the lofty rank of infantry officer in the Minnesota National Guard and although he served in Iraq, first as an infantry platoon leader and later as civil-military operations officer he has never reached anywhere near the heights of Austin. He volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan to train Afghan security forces and was promoted to the rank of major but left active duty to be assigned to the Army Individual Ready Reserve. He therefore lacks operational expertise and in-depth military knowledge as has nowhere near the business experience to oversea the millions of people in the miltary and the $820 billion budget. If the job was in the private sector, he wouldn't even make the shortlist.  

 

This is what what makes Lloyd Austin more qualified than Pete Hegseth. 

Thanks. Were not Iraq and Afghanistan not lost efforts? 

 

 

 

[Yellowtail]

To be clear, it has been my experience that having more experience does not always translate to better qualified. 

[johnnybangkok]

1 hour ago, Yellowtail said:

To be clear, it has been my experience that having more experience does not always translate to better qualified. 

The mental gynastics you put yoursef through just to try and argue against the obvious is truly something to behold. You don't even like the guy but because he's a Trump pick you are now resorting to 'more experience does not always translate to better qualified.' Very, very occasionally it does - but not in this case.

[LosLobo]

53 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

To be clear, it has been my experience that having more experience does not always translate to better qualified. 

Experience doesn’t always translate to better qualified’? Right, just like you’d eagerly board a plane with a pilot who’s never flown before or trust a first-year med student to perform surgery.

 

But hey 'to be clear', the Secretary of Defense — no big deal, right? He’s only the one guardrail against the guy who asked about nuking Iran and using nuclear weapons on hurricanes. And he holds the security of the country — and possibly the free world — in his hands.

[spidermike007]

So is today's version of being a warrior having the inability to be loyal to one's wife? Is that where society has gone, or is that just simply a prerequisite of Trump to appoint somebody who's morally bankrupt? 

 

In 2004, Hegseth married his first wife, Meredith Schwarz, who was his high school girlfriend from Minnesota; they divorced in 2009 after he admitted to five affairs. In December 2008, Schwarz filed for divorce after Hegseth admitted that he cheated on her, according to four sources close to the couple; as APM Reports previously revealed that the infidelity was listed as grounds in the couple’s divorce proceedings. As per those sources, Hegseth’s infidelity left Schwarz emotionally and psychologically devastated. One of them told Vanity Fair, “She was gaslighted by him heavily throughout their relationship. As far as everyone else was concerned, they were viewed by many as this all-American power couple that were making big things for themselves.”

[johnnybangkok]

1 minute ago, spidermike007 said:

So is today's version of being a warrior having the inability to be loyal to one's wife? Is that where society has gone, or is that just simply a prerequisite of Trump to appoint somebody who's morally bankrupt? 

 

In 2004, Hegseth married his first wife, Meredith Schwarz, who was his high school girlfriend from Minnesota; they divorced in 2009 after he admitted to five affairs. In December 2008, Schwarz filed for divorce after Hegseth admitted that he cheated on her, according to four sources close to the couple; as APM Reports previously revealed that the infidelity was listed as grounds in the couple’s divorce proceedings. As per those sources, Hegseth’s infidelity left Schwarz emotionally and psychologically devastated. One of them told Vanity Fair, “She was gaslighted by him heavily throughout their relationship. As far as everyone else was concerned, they were viewed by many as this all-American power couple that were making big things for themselves.”

An 'inability to be loyal to one's wife' will get the guy promoted to VP in Trumps books.

[Yagoda]

12 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

Hegseth may not be a DEI hire, but he's definitely a DUI hire. ✅

 

Another vodka, barkeep!

 

Drinking disqualifies a soldier.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gf0xbxvHEbk

[stevenl]

6 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

To be clear, it has been my experience that having more experience does not always translate to better qualified. 

Lol, it's your experience that experience doesn't count.

[herfiehandbag]

In my various dealings with the US Army from time to time I came across a few who espoused the "Warrior Ethos"

 

We, in the ramshackle scruffy amateur rabble known as the British Army would refer to them as either "lean, mean, steely eyed killers" or sometimes "Walts" as in "Walter Mitty".

 

Admiration of Leonidas and the Spartans was discussed, personally I rather found their obsession with ancient Greek blokes in leather miniskirts with oiled bodies slightly disturbing!

 

Funnily enough, I do remember a couple of such "warriors" who spent quite a lot of time trying rather hard to impress the admittedly rather pretty pair of signallers who worked in our CP. On one occasion, when things were getting a bit fraught (during the run up to Gulf 1 - the Iraqis were threatening to come over the border from Kuwait and the noble Saudi Knights of the Desert had all waddled off south in a cloud of dust) I had to tell them to bugger off and let the girls get on with their jobs! They sulked, most un warrior like!

[mogandave]

Sure Jan

[Yellowtail]

16 hours ago, stevenl said:

Lol, it's your experience that experience doesn't count.

What's your experience? I've in in five different industries in six different counties. 

[johnnybangkok]

13 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

What's your experience? I've in in five different industries in six different counties. 

And I bet your previous experience got you all of these jobs. Knowing what the hell you are doing is usually pretty vital in most jobs. 

[Taboo2]

On 1/16/2025 at 5:37 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

I hope he gets to do that. The US military has been degraded in the past 4 years, IMO.

no sir, the past 40 years....our Military need "Gaius Marius" to reform it.  

[Taboo2]

22 hours ago, johnnybangkok said:

An 'inability to be loyal to one's wife' will get the guy promoted to VP in Trumps books.

BFD....everyone in the Military cheats....it is well known!  

[Taboo2]

On 1/16/2025 at 8:34 AM, SiSePuede419 said:

Will Foster understanding across the Brooks of difference between top grade hootch and enlisted men's swill. 

 

Our Trump boys must drink top shelf. 🏆

Did Foster server?

[Taboo2]

On 1/16/2025 at 11:08 AM, Patong2021 said:

To those who have managed workplaces and had troublesome personnel, this man is a drunk, sex pest , untrustworthy and  given to  delusions of grandeur.  He will at some point screw up and then attempt to cover up the mess. This man isn't fit to be a clerk for secretaries like Jimmy Forrestal, or George Marshall, or Bill Perry or Bill Cohen.

 

The characterization of senior officers at the deaprtment of defense as woke liberals is so far off the mark as to be an insult. The US military has some of the best educated and trained  leadership and command officers in the world. Many if not most  of the senior command have had combat experience. Multiple false claims about DEI in the military have been made. The reality is that the military is facing a shortage of educated, qualified personnel. Hegseth won't change that. On the contrary, he may cause a large number of personnel to leave .

 

The reason women are serving is because they fill an important gap in the personnel needs. Without women in their roles, the US would have  16% shortage in available personnel. The warrior mentality is what causes  multi million dollar losses of aircraft, and unnecessary actions.  This job requires a person who is able to manage a multi billion dollar multi national operation.

 

 

I guess Austin and all the other creeps who were SecDef did a great job huh?  Trillions wasted on programs and weapon systems that do not work?  WARs that we ran away from....wasted 58K young men in Vietnam for nothing and IRAG and Afghanistan...trillions wasted.  Thank God Trump wants to change that nightmare!

[Taboo2]

On 1/16/2025 at 11:40 AM, Emdog said:

That sort of statement shows your great disconnect from reality. "Time to go back to meritocracy" Warrior ethos may have once included drunken rape and pillaging... Your man Pete ticked rape and drunk... unsure about pillage

Merit? Largest organization he ran had perhaps 50 employees... US military has around 3 million. And Pete ran the budget into the ground for both organizations he oversaw.

Secretary of Defense can't be a drunk. Reports from his employees say he was often drunk on the job. Lame Republicans try to say "many senators have been drunk at work too"... but they aren't part of nuke chain of command among other things. Somehow saying "we're as awful as he is" is faint praise.

So tell me, just what are his merits other than being a Fox weekend post and Trump ass kisser?

You think Austin was better?  That man was a efin More Run.  

 

Pete will change our Pentagon and get rid of DEI, WASTE, and stupid programs like the F-35!

[Taboo2]

Every Empire has to go through major changes to stay on top.  After the Romans lost to the Celtic Tribes, Gaius Marius came in reform the Roman Army and turn them into the killing machine that ruled the world.  

 

Pete is our Gaius Marius.

 

 

[Will B Good]

1 minute ago, Taboo2 said:

Every Empire has to go through major changes to stay on top.  After the Romans lost to the Celtic Tribes, Gaius Marius came in reform the Roman Army and turn them into the killing machine that ruled the world.  

 

Pete is our Gaius Marius.

 

 

 

 

Can’t tell if that’s a joke or the real deal…..funny either way I guess.

[Yellowtail]

13 minutes ago, johnnybangkok said:

And I bet your previous experience got you all of these jobs. Knowing what the hell you are doing is usually pretty vital in most jobs. 

That's why I like Hegseth over Austin, because Hegseth's experience is better suited to the task at hand. 

 

If Trump wanted the military to continue on as a DEI experiment with its focus on climate change and weeding out white supremacy, Austin's experience would have made him the better choice.

[Will B Good]

4 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

That's why I like Hegseth over Austin, because Hegseth's experience is better suited to the task at hand. 

 

If Trump wanted the military to continue on as a DEI experiment with its focus on climate change and weeding out white supremacy, Austin's experience would have made him the better choice.

 

 

You’re correct…..heavy drinker, verging on alcoholic, womaniser and lowly ranked soldier…..what’s to worry about?

[Yellowtail]

Just now, Will B Good said:

 

 

You’re correct…..heavy drinker, verging on alcoholic, womaniser and lowly ranked soldier…..what’s to worry about?

I'm not worried. He was a womanizer, but there is no evidence that he is "verging" on alcoholism. Just a lot of unsubstantiated claims. 

 

He'll be confirmed. 

 

[Will B Good]

1 minute ago, Yellowtail said:

I'm not worried. He was a womanizer, but there is no evidence that he is "verging" on alcoholism. Just a lot of unsubstantiated claims. 

 

He'll be confirmed. 

 

 

You mean "anonymous slurs"…..place on repeat…..but no denials….very odd.

[Yellowtail]

6 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

 

You mean "anonymous slurs"…..place on repeat…..but no denials….very odd.

Not true. Is that what CNN told you?