Summary
Trump’s nomination of Pete Hegseth, a Fox News presenter with minimal managerial experience, as defense secretary has stunned the Pentagon.
Hegseth has been a vocal critic of the military, calling for a purge of generals and questioning the appointment of Gen. Charles Brown as chair of the joint chiefs of staff.
Hegseth’s nomination is seen as a boost for the far right in Israel, as he has shown support for territorial expansion and suggested the construction of a new temple on the Temple Mount.
He doesn’t understand just how decentralized the military command structure is, and the enlisted-officer relationship that has existed for a very, very long time. Just because anything is written in a regulation and a high-ranking officer with a good idea fairy perched on his shoulder says something or orders something doesn’t mean it happens. Or that the report back from down below is actually true. Officers that actually rise up through the ranks understand that they, too, should sleep with one eye open if the enlisted do not approve.