Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has survived in office by projecting strength, winning praise from President Trump and support from the Republican base. However, he is leading the military through an unpopular war, and Republicans in Congress complain privately and increasingly in public that he and his staff are dismissive of their questions and frequently unprepared for briefings. If Democrats win a majority in the House, Mr. Hegseth will likely face new calls for his impeachment.
His firing and sidelining of senior military officers, often with no explanation, has fed mistrust and led many top ranks to question his leadership. Most immediately, Mr. Hegseth faces problems in Iran, where the U.S. war shows no signs of ending, and on Capitol Hill. After the midterm elections, he must persuade a skeptical Congress to pass a $1.5 trillion defense budget and confirm nominees for key Pentagon posts.
Several of his choices are being blocked by Republicans in the Senate. He will also have to convince Congress to keep paying for the war, which the American people broadly oppose. On Wednesday, Mr. Hegseth focused on the part of the job that plays to his strengths.
Onstage at a military base outside Washington, with a giant American flag behind him, he attacked the media and promoted his victories in the culture wars. "The complainers, the ideologues and the poor performers are no longer in the driver’s seat. No more silly Power Point trainings or drag queen shows," Mr. Hegseth said. "No more gender pronouns. No more identity months.
Only the warrior ethos." He also laid out an ambitious agenda that included building a massive military base and establishing a major new command focused on preparing the military for wars dominated by robots and artificial intelligence.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing