Good Intentions
I’ve already been asked by about ten people for my opinion on Pete Hegseth as the SECDEF. It’s 9am. Instead of sending this through text and messenger and social media a couple of dozen times over the next day or so, I am just going to put it here.
I think Pete Hegseth is not a great pick for SECDEF.
I know Pete’s resume. I know he has the Ivy League degrees. I know he is ultra-conservative. I know he is loyal to President Trump. I know he was a Major in the Minnesota National Guard. I know he is a talking head on FOX. I know he has combat experience. I know he has made statements about the things that need to change inside of our military.
I also know his intentions are great, but some of the things he is saying are NOT under his control and that shows his blind spots. And they are pretty big.
First, Department of Defense is probably the largest enterprise inside the Federal Government. It is MASSIVE. It has systems and cycles and processes that run extremely deep and take long periods of time. It is like any of the world’s largest corporations. Pete has no experience running any large organization. That’s a problem. Large organizations are not agile, and I can say definitively DoD does nothing quickly or easily. He is going to have to take an appetite suppressant on what he thinks he is going to accomplish in the near term.
Second, Department of Defense doesn’t operate independently. Budgets are tied to Congress. So are the appointments and approvals for all Flag Officers. Saying Generals have become too politicized is a problem inside of DoD is something I completely agree with. Pete’s problem is HE can’t fix that and any statement he has made to insinuate he can shows his great misunderstanding of the process.
I’ve explained this a number of times before in different forums and related to other topics, but Congress approves all Flag Officers. To reach the rank, and retain the rank, inside of the corps of Generals and Admirals requires political support. DoD can nominate and so can the President, but Congress approves those nominations. Pete can’t fix that relationship and he cannot alter that process. Members of Congress are the driving force behind the politicizing of the most senior military leaders.
Budgets are the same. Members of Congress, in many cases, have a vested interest in the defense budget because of contracts, factories, jobs, and income for their districts and their constituents. Pete can’t change that either. He is going to have to learn to be a politician himself…or a CEO…to work within the system to get things accomplished. I know, I know, that’s not what everyone wants and that’s not what President Trump has been advertising, but that’s reality. There isn’t an unlimited supply of money and Pete will have to understand that everything costs money, especially when you focus on warfighting. Training and maintenance are EXPENSIVE, although the most worthwhile money you will spend. Robbing Peter to pay Paul is a reality he is going to have to get used to.
Third, don’t get blinded by “combat experience” as a junior officer. Being in the military has never been a requirement for SECDEF and neither has “combat experience”. In fact, combat experience as a junior officer has very little relevance on large organization leadership ability. General Petraeus had ZERO combat experience before he was commanding the 101st Airborne Division as a 2-Star General in 2003. Yeah, the guy everyone LOVES never went to combat before then. And General Eisenhower didn’t have any combat time before WWII when he was a 4-Star commanding all US forces. None.
People will say “it gives him perspective” and it will “keep him grounded”. Maybe. If he lets it keep him grounded. But being grounded in the tactical isn’t always good. Secretary Rumsfeld was notorious for being grounded in tactical operations when he was SECDEF. People hated him. He was one of the most despised men to hold that office because he was overly involved in tactical operations, among other reasons. So, there is a balance there that I believe is being overinflated. Additionally, experience in the LAST war doesn’t necessarily prepare you for the NEXT war and that’s where we need to focus.
Pete is going to have to learn to fight AGAINST the leadership he has been so trained to honor and respect. I don’t know him personally, but at some point, he is going to have to look a 4-Star in the eye and tell him to “shut the f%ck up”. It’s going to happen. I don’t know if Pete has the ability to do that. If he really wants to change the culture in the military, he is going to have to force the issue and that means putting senior leaders in line with his directives. That isn’t always easy, and it isn’t always pleasant. There WILL BE some senior leaders that don’t respect Pete or his opinion walking in the door because Pete was a Major and Pete was in the National Guard. Combat time and muddy boots time don’t matter to them because they all have it and they all have MORE of it than he does. It becomes irrelevant in the hallways of the Pentagon pretty quickly.
Lastly, Pete is going to spend over a year just learning his job. OVER A YEAR. President Trump is not a patient man. Pete isn’t going to get the grace to learn as he goes and not make major strides in the first 90-120 days. He is going to be learning a new boss, a new job, new leadership techniques, new processes, and new enemies all at the same time. I’m not saying Pete isn’t smart, he clearly is, but that is daunting for anyone and I think Pete is out of his depth.
I am not blaming Pete Hegseth for this. He seems to be honored at the opportunity and saying “no” doesn’t seem like an option, but it is. I am holding this decision over President Trump. I have liked all his cabinet and leadership picks so far, until this one. Probably in the top two or three positional selections he needed to really nail, but I think he missed the boat on this one.
Bad decision based on Good Intentions.