GOP set to deny Americans of sober leadership of nation’s defense

The Senate Armed Services Committee connected Tuesday wrapped up its confirmation proceeding for Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s prime to pb the Pentagon.

Hegseth’s information should alarm anyone who values competent enactment successful our nation’s defence and the Armed Services Committee. While we are resigned to the world that the Republican-controlled Senate volition apt corroborate Hegseth, this is further grounds of the Republican Party’s descent into servile acceptance of the unfit alternatively than starring and demanding qualified and prepared nominees.

As we wrote successful aboriginal December, erstwhile Trump archetypal nominated Hegseth for caput of defense, the erstwhile Fox News personality’s implicit deficiency of due qualifications and troubling idiosyncratic past would disfigure the bureau helium volition apt assume.

The Department of Defense is the largest and astir analyzable organization, not conscionable successful the national authorities but the world, overseeing a fund of $800 cardinal and astir 3 cardinal personnel, positive relationships with tens of thousands of authorities contractors and hundreds of peers successful different countries, arsenic good arsenic planetary hotspots. This occupation demands an idiosyncratic with proven strategic, managerial and diplomatic skills. It demands idiosyncratic with contented and heavy acquisition — idiosyncratic who tin power himself successful the astir hard of times.

Hegseth possesses nary of these qualities. His résumé is dense connected tv punditry, chaotic idiosyncratic antics and nary substantive experience. This is small surprise, due to the fact that Hegseth was not nominated to beryllium bully astatine the job; helium was nominated to obey instantly immoderate whim of his president.

Unlike his predecessors, Hegseth has nary grounds of precocious command, nary expertise successful defence policy, nary acquisition successful the nuances of planetary affairs and nary acquisition managing large, multifaceted organizations. His unit-level work successful Iraq and Afghanistan does not substitute for the heavy strategical acumen required to navigate the complexities of modern warfare.

The Pentagon faces a multitude of planetary threats, from China’s assertive enlargement successful the Indo-Pacific to Russia’s ongoing subject aggression, and the adjacent defence caput indispensable beryllium capable to tackle these challenges head-on. He indispensable beryllium calm and nimble and prudent.

Hegseth’s chaotic idiosyncratic beingness and his demonstrated deficiency of impulse power render him a information to our nation. It’s amazingly casual to bungle one’s mode into a war. Unfortunately for America, moving the Pentagon is not similar hosting a kegger. Hegseth would beryllium adept astatine the second and sadly, the GOP-controlled Senate volition soon amusement America however horrible helium is astatine the former.

While questioning Hegseth, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., a decorated Army combat veteran, exposed his alarming ignorance of captious defence partnerships, specified arsenic the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). His inability to sanction adjacent 1 subordinate of this captious information confederation is emblematic of his unpreparedness for the role. After all, the United States’ narration with ASEAN is indispensable to countering China’s thrust assertive and expansionist mindset.

Beyond his deficiency of experience, Hegseth’s idiosyncratic behaviour raises superior concerns astir his quality to pb with integrity. Allegations of intersexual assault, excessive drinking and fiscal mismanagement of a veterans enactment are not insignificant indiscretions — they are disqualifying quality flaws for idiosyncratic tasked with overseeing America’s equipped forces.

Consider: These are things that are known about the careening and carousing of Hegseth’s backstage life. They’re successful the nationalist domain. It begs a disquieting question: What bash the Chinese oregon the Russians oregon the Iranians cognize astir his deeper secrets? And however mightiness they usage those against him? America deserves a defence caput who is armored successful idiosyncratic integrity.

During the hearing, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., questioned whether Hegseth could beryllium trusted to uphold the oath of bureau since helium has antecedently cheated connected spouses to whom helium swore an oath to beryllium faithful. The legislator besides focused connected Hegseth’s character, noting that his ain parent wrote to Hegseth expressing heavy discomfort with her son’s quality and behavior. In a 2018 email, Penelope Hegseth wrote that she was “broken” by her son’s deficiency of quality and that “as a pistillate and your parent I consciousness I indispensable talk out.”

The subject is already grappling with pervasive issues of intersexual harassment and maltreatment wrong its ranks. Confirming a person with a troubling idiosyncratic past of misogyny and intersexual misconduct would undermine efforts to make a safe, cohesive and effectual situation for women successful azygous and nonstop a chilling connection that specified behaviour tin beryllium overlooked astatine the highest levels of leadership.

Trump is surrounding himself with scoundrels and sycophants erstwhile the state deserves leaders.

In a impermanent file for the Idaho Statesman, Army veterans James Ruchti and Todd Achilles said Hegseth “has nary concern starring America’s equipped forces.” “As Army veterans,” they wrote, “we cognize firsthand that a well-functioning subject indispensable beryllium nonpartisan, afloat stop. Partisan authorities are toxic to portion cohesion, ngo execution and subject ethics. When subject leaders are much loyal to a governmental enactment oregon its person than they are to the United States Constitution, the rot sets successful quickly.”

“Furthermore,” they wrote, “(Hegseth’s) demeaning comments that women are not acceptable for combat disregard battle-tested American warriors who served with favoritism successful Afghanistan and Iraq, similar Silver Star awardees Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester and Pfc. Monica Brown. It ignores the Ukrainian women who combat valiantly against superior Russian forces. And it ignores the Israeli Defense Forces, wherever 34% of those serving are female.”

We agree.

America’s information is not a game, and its enactment is not a reward for governmental loyalty. Hegseth’s confirmation volition beryllium 1 of an upcoming bid of proofs that the GOP isn’t a enactment superior astir doing what’s champion for America. It’s a enactment wholly, adjacent obsessively, focused connected what its weird person wants.

The midterms consciousness eons away, but they are coming, and we fishy Americans volition tally to the polls to elite amended leaders aft seeing what Trump and his Cabinet person successful store for the nation.