Risky Pentagon experiment This is how dangerous Scandal Minister Pete Hegseth is for Donald Trump
He's done it again: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has once again removed a high-ranking military officer from the Pentagon because he doesn't like him. Where will this lead? To the White House, for example?
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Under Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon simply cannot rest.
- As if the US Secretary of Defense had not already produced enough scandals, he has once again forced a high-ranking but unpopular officer out of office.
- There is growing mistrust in Congress and among the military leadership of a man who acts like an ideological field preacher and is determined to turn the US military upside down.
Colonel David Butler is a highly decorated officer, he is regarded in the Pentagon as professional and non-partisan, someone from the "works within the system" category. But the man who presides over this system has a problem with this category: US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
As the "Washington Post" reports, Hegseth has forced Colonel David Butler into retirement. It is the latest intervention by the Pentagon chief in the internal affairs of the military: Butler was the right-hand man of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, with whom Hegseth has a problem, according to insiders, because his influence is growing.
Hegseth denies that his personnel decisions are politically motivated. However, critics see a dangerous signal: loyalty to the political line is more important than competence and continuity. Pete Hegseth is regarded as a culture warrior in combat gear and is controversial (not only) in the US military leadership.
What kind of guy is Pete Hegseth?
The nomination of Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense was one of the most controversial personnel decisions made by Donald Trump, who has made more than a few controversial personnel decisions. Hegseth presents himself as a fighter against "effeminacy", against "wokeness", against the establishment. This makes him attractive to MAGA supporters - and is alarming for his opponents.
Pete Hegseth came to the Pentagon from the outside: He may be a former National Guardsman with tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, but he is first and foremost a television man. On "Fox News" he became the sharp-tongued voice of the conservative culture war in uniform.
His style? Can best be described as "frontal". Pathos, patriotism, clear images of the enemy: Hegseth speaks less like a civil servant and more like a field preacher for a conservative rebirth of America, of "woke generals", of ideological infiltration of the troops, of a military that needs to focus on fighting again. His critics see Hegseth as an ideologue with access to the most powerful army in the world.
Hegseth not only wants to lead the Ministry of Defense (officially renamed the "Ministry of War"), he wants to restructure it - politically, in terms of personnel and culturally. His appointment was already seen as a challenge to the security policy establishment in Washington. Critics warned early on that he would bring more culture war than leadership skills.
How Pete Hegseth cleaned up the Pentagon
The forced resignation of Colonel David Butler is not an isolated case: Pete Hegseth has made use of his power from the very beginning. Since taking office, Hegseth has removed a number of high-ranking officers from the Pentagon - sometimes without public explanation. His motto: those who are too moderate are replaced or sidelined.
For example, he passed over General James Mingus, previously Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, when filling the prestigious post of head of U.S. Central Command. Hegseth unceremoniously cashed in on Lieutenant General Douglas Sims' promotion to four-star general, which had been considered a certainty. And General Charles Q. Brown Jr, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had to go.
Several Joint Chiefs of Staff were also replaced. Officially, there is talk of "realignment". Internally, some speak of a political purge - particularly of officers who had worked under former Chief of Staff Mark Milley. Hegseth and Trump have a deep dislike for Milley because he dared to publicly criticize Trump.
Does Pete Hegseth have skills as Secretary of Defense?
Hegseth has gained military experience, at least at a tactical level, through missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. He knows war from his own experience. He knows what deployments feel like, how soldiers think and what the reality on the front looks like. This gives him credibility with many in uniform.
The situation is different at the strategic and political level. As Minister of Defense, he does not lead a platoon, but a gigantic system - a global machine with millions of employees and fighters. Budgets in the billions, NATO votes, geopolitical crises, nuclear deterrence.
This requires strategic intuition and diplomatic routine: His performance in office to date raises doubts that Hegseth is up to the task. Instead, Hegseth has already been involved in several scandals.
Hegseth and the "Signalgate" affair
One of the biggest scandals of his time in office was the so-called "Signalgate" affair. Internal, sensitive votes on military operations were conducted via a group chat in the messenger app "Signal". A journalist was inadvertently invited to this group - who was able to read all the information that was actually classified as secret.
An investigation report then made serious accusations against Hegseth. He had potentially endangered the safety of soldiers through lax handling of communication protocols. The accusations weighed heavily because they were not ideological but operational.
The attacks on "drug boats"
Military operations against so-called "drug boats" - speedboats belonging to suspected cartels - also repeatedly gave rise to discussion. Critics accuse Hegseth of blurring the line between combating drugs and military escalation through aggressive rules of engagement.
The criticism intensified after it became public that his forces had killed two shipwrecked people in a second strike. There was, of course, backing for the attack, which may have violated international law, from the White House.
In the US Senate, however, mistrust of Pete Hegseth has grown. A law requires the Secretary of Defense to allow Congress to review the orders for the US military's attacks on suspected drug boats.
And most recently, a federal judge stopped Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth: The attempt to discipline Democratic Senator and ex-Navy officer Mark Kelly for a video about "illegal orders" violates the Constitution for the time being.
The first rumors are circulating: Can Pete Hegseth really become US President?
In conservative media and online forums close to Trump, his name is being bandied about time and again - as an uncompromising fighter, as the possible heir to a radicalized Republican Party. However, as things stand today, this is extremely unlikely.
So far, it is mainly mind games in the right-wing media spectrum and in parts of the online scene close to Trump that are speculating in talk shows, podcasts and on social media.
Realistically, however, Pete Hegseth lacks an independent power base. He cannot rely on an elected top office (governor or senator) and has no nationwide network. And as long as Donald Trump dominates the Republican stage, there is hardly any room for others anyway.
However, there is a certain logic behind the rumors: Hegseth combines a military biography, media presence and ideological clarity - a mixture that certainly resonates with parts of the Republican base.
