The Case for Peter Hegseth — Time To Try Something Different

Success in today’s world favors smart, creative leaders who can quickly adapt and make decisions that benefit their organizations. President-elect Donald Trump’s choice of Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense marks a significant shift from his first administration.

Hegseth, with fewer ties to the traditional defense establishment, is expected to transform the department in two vital areas: First, he will expose generals and admirals who act out of self-interest; second, he will refocus the military on its core function of lethality — the use or threat of deadly force to win wars and deter enemies.

Hegseth’s appointment threatens senior military officers who are more concerned with their legacy than with mission accomplishment. These officers feel susceptible to changes that will threaten their carefully curated norms. Many current leaders have avidly promoted DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) and CRT (Critical Race Theory), and Hegseth’s threat to remove these programs stokes their fears. These leaders have promoted subordinates who share their views, creating a cycle of making leaders in their own image. To break this cycle, Hegseth will also need to ensure that general officers are held accountable for the officers they promote. These actions will ensure that his and President Trump’s ‘Warrior Boards’ achieve their desired effect and weed out the right leaders.

Civilian leaders and politicians should also scrutinize the retired officers who placed these generals in their positions in the first place. If multiple legacies are at risk, flag officers will develop and implement more objective metrics for recommending general officer positions.

Hegseth’s leadership will refocus the Department of Defense on its core purpose. By removing ineffective leaders who prioritize social theories over military effectiveness, he will eliminate a major obstacle. These changes will encourage accountability and forward-thinking approaches. A clear message will echo from the top down that adapting to change means manning, training, and equipping the military to win wars, rather than allowing military officers to succumb to the self-loathing which places individual egos above selfless service to the country.

Adapting to change is also the responsibility of military commanders. Officers command Army organizations. It is significant that in some branches of the United States Army, up to half the officers do not desire to compete for Battalion Command. Many reasons include burnout and the threat of investigations that are launched ad nauseam in a zero-defect environment. The Army cannot be effective if officers do not want to command. Commanders hesitate to enforce standards in this environment because an unhappy subordinate can ruin their career with a retaliatory allegation. If an investigation is launched, commanders worry that general officers will dispose of these allegations negatively rather than appear lenient. Secretary Hegseth will support his commanders because his commander in chief supports him.

Not supporting your subordinate commanders has vital consequences for national security. A glaring example of a lack of support for the Department of Defense is demonstrated by the contempt of the Chinese in answering Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s phone calls and his apparent indifference to it. “I think we’ll continue … to stress how important it is, and hopefully Minister Wei will schedule that call,” Austin told CNN.

One can hardly imagine Hegseth having the same attitude as Secretary Austin. Trump proved during his first term, with sanctions and recently renewed threats of another trade war with China, that his government will support its Defense Department by imposing harsh sanctions and other measures. This whole-of-government approach will allow Hegseth to focus on the military and make its interactions with foreign militaries more effective.

In fact, the Trump transition team is already laying the groundwork for forward-leaning tariff plans through legislation. Because legislation will make it harder to have subsequent administrations revoke these actions, the Defense Department will benefit from a more permanent government position when it comes to the exercise of economic power. Hegseth will, thus, occupy an even stronger position to engage with military threats to the United States with supporting economic policies that are not just unilateral executive actions by the Trump administration.

President-elect Trump’s selection of Pete Hegseth frees the Department of Defense from being anchored in the change dynamics of the past. Current and future change undercurrents cannot be managed with legacy processes. Leaders must adapt and be free to act outside of institutional norms, especially those tied to a selfish cycle of self-promotion and government social experiments rather than the effectiveness of the Department of Defense.

This article was originally published by RealClearDefense and made available via RealClearWire.

S.L. Nelson has served from the tactical to strategic level as a military officer. His views are his own and do not represent the position of the U.S. DoD.

Related Topics:#DailyCaller PeteHegseth S.L.Nelson USArmedForcesDEI USDepartmentOfDefense

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Trump rebuilds the ranks: Army crushes 2025 recruitment goal early

Published on June 3, 2025

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MxM News

Quick Hit:

The Army has already exceeded its 2025 recruiting goal of 61,000 troops—four months ahead of schedule—as the Trump administration’s rollback of woke policies draws thousands back to military service.

Key Details:

The Army’s 2025 recruiting goal was 61,000—higher than last year’s 55,000—and has already been met with more than four months remaining in the fiscal year. Officials report a 56% increase in average daily enlistment rates over last year.
Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll thanked Trump and Hegseth, saying their “decisive leadership” and “putting soldiers first” contributed to the record-breaking numbers.
Hegseth has aggressively pushed to eliminate leftist cultural initiatives in the military, including moves to administratively separate transgender troops and rename a Navy ship previously dedicated to gay rights icon Harvey Milk.

Diving Deeper:

The U.S. Army has reached a major milestone ahead of schedule—signing up 61,000 new recruits in fiscal year 2025, effectively smashing its annual goal months before the September 30th deadline. The achievement marks a dramatic shift after years of underperformance and is being touted as a vindication of the Trump administration’s efforts to reorient the military away from progressive social engineering and back toward warfighting readiness.

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed Tuesday, Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll praised the recruiting corps, attributing their success to both boots-on-the-ground determination and high-level support. “I’m incredibly proud of our U.S. Army recruiters and drill sergeants,” he said. “Their colossal efforts and dedication to duty helped the U.S. Army accomplish our FY25 annual recruiting goal a full four months ahead of schedule.” Driscoll continued, “I want to thank the commander in chief, President Trump, and Secretary of Defense Hegseth for their decisive leadership and support.”

The Army’s target of 61,000 recruits was a notable jump from last year’s 55,000 goal. Officials say that as of this month, daily enlistment figures are tracking 56% higher than the previous year.

Driving the increase, many believe, is the sweeping overhaul of military culture underway under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Hegseth has made no secret of his intent to steer the armed forces away from what he calls “woke and weak” policies. That includes the Pentagon’s past focus on gender identity politics, climate initiatives, and mandatory diversity training—priorities Hegseth sees as incompatible with combat readiness.

“We are leaving wokeness and weakness behind,” Hegseth declared during remarks last month at the Special Operations Forces Week convention in Tampa. “No more pronouns, no more climate change obsession, no more emergency vaccine mandates. No more dudes in dresses. We’re done with that s***.”

Hegseth emphasized a military rooted in “lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards and readiness,” and added pointedly, “Our combat formations don’t need to look like Harvard University—they need to look like killers.”

In line with that shift, Hegseth also this week ordered the Navy to remove Harvey Milk’s name from a replenishment ship. The vessel had been named in honor of Milk, a gay rights activist and former Navy officer who was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977 before being assassinated a year later.

The directive aligns with what Hegseth calls “warrior culture” and the broader mission to reflect Trump administration priorities across the military’s assets and institutions. The Pentagon has yet to confirm a new name for the USNS Harvey Milk, and a spokesperson said reviews are ongoing.

The Army is set to mark its 250th anniversary on June 14th—a symbolic moment, officials say, as it reclaims its footing and begins to rebuild the force from a position of strength.

armed forces

New Trump-Pentagon ad resets mission: end wokeness, win wars

Published on May 26, 2025

Todayville

MxM News

Quick Hit:

The Pentagon released a dramatic new ad Sunday featuring President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, highlighting the end of woke policies in the military and a renewed focus on strength, discipline, and warfighting.

Key Details:

The ad, titled Peace through Strength, features intense training and combat scenes, underscored by speeches from Trump and Hegseth.
“No more distraction, no more electric tanks, no more gender confusion, no more climate change worship,” Hegseth proclaims, signaling a sharp pivot from recent Pentagon policies.
Trump promises that under his leadership, U.S. military success will be defined “not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars we end,” calling for peace built on American strength.

NEW U.S. MILITARY AD HITS HARD🇺🇸

"We are laser focused on our mission of warfighting… Our friends will respect us, our enemies will fear us, and the whole world will admire the unrivaled greatness of the United States Military" pic.twitter.com/jdm3MikswO

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 27, 2025

Diving Deeper:

The Pentagon launched a forceful new recruitment and branding campaign over Memorial Day weekend, spotlighting the military’s return to fundamentals under the leadership of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Donald Trump. The minute-long ad, titled Peace through Strength, premiered Sunday at the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR event and was simultaneously posted to the Department of Defense’s social media accounts.

Using fast-paced training footage and dramatic music, the ad showcases troops in battlefield simulations and highlights a no-nonsense message from the Trump administration. Hegseth opens with a clear declaration: “No more distraction, no more electric tanks, no more gender confusion, no more climate change worship. We are laser-focused on our mission of warfighting.”

The video includes remarks from Trump affirming his vision for a military built on discipline and deterrence. “Through our power and might, we will lead the world to peace,” he says. “Our friends will respect us. Our enemies will fear us. And the whole world will admire the unrivaled greatness of the United States military.”

The ad was produced using previously recorded training footage, according to a Pentagon spokesperson who spoke to The New York Post.

Hegseth also makes a direct appeal to America’s youth, praising “incredible” young men and women “giving up the best years of their lives” to defend the country. He closes the ad with a quote that underscores the values behind the mission: “We don’t fight because we hate what’s in front of us. We fight because we love what’s behind us.”

The backdrop to the ad is a recruiting crisis that had plagued the military under Biden. In fiscal year 2022, the U.S. Army fell short by roughly 25% of its enlistment target. Similar gaps were recorded across other branches in 2023, with both the Navy and Air Force reporting thousands fewer recruits than needed.

Reversing that trend has been a key objective for Hegseth. He has made it clear that returning to a warrior culture—and scrapping the distractions of social experimentation—is central to solving the problem.

The ad’s release comes just days after the House passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which adds $150 billion in new military funding. That package includes investments in shipbuilding, defense modernization, and Trump’s space-based Golden Dome missile defense initiative.

Together, the new ad and the legislation serve as a one-two punch from the Trump administration, signaling a full-spectrum push to rebuild, rearm, and reinspire the U.S. Armed Forces.