‘Pete Hegseth understands what it means that our military’s very first job above all is to defend America,’ one veteran told NR.
President-elect Donald Trump’s secretary of defense nominee Pete Hegseth says he wants the job, first and foremost, to support warriors on the ground.
At Hegseth’s confirmation hearing Tuesday, a number of veterans were inside the room cheering him on as he faced questions from the Senate Armed Services Committee about a range of issues he plans on combating as head of the Pentagon. Multiple veterans in attendance spoke to National Review before and after the hearing about why they are backing Hegseth as the outsider needed to get the military back on track.
“He’s a guy that still has dust on his boots, that actually understands the needs of the real military. He understands the cancer that has invaded our military, that has made us a laughing stock to the rest of the world,” said Graham Allen, a 12-year veteran of the Army.
“Pete Hegseth understands what it means that our military’s very first job above all is to defend America. That’s it. Against all enemies — foreign and domestic,” he told NR before the hearing. Allen said “woke ideology” in the military should be gone on “day one” of the new administration.
During his testimony on Tuesday, Hegseth emphasized the Pentagon’s need to restore the “warrior ethos” and bring excellence back to the fighting forces. He also spoke about ending progressive DEI programs at the Pentagon and restoring morale among service members who were alienated by the Biden administration’s political agenda.
“We were a strong fighting force,” said Mike Rose, a 10-year veteran of the Marine Corps. “We were, people feared us. They didn’t want to fight with us because they feared us. Now we’re a laughing stock.”
“We’re representing the real military, the one that isn’t afraid to take a bullet for anyone else here,” he added, while lamenting the outgrowth of DEI and the lack of morale in the service.
Leading up to the hearing, Hegseth faced accusations of sexual assault, excessive drinking, and financial mismanagement of two veterans advocacy organizations he led. A former Fox News host, Hegseth served in Iraq and Afghanistan during a distinguished, 20-year military career.
Hegseth deflected questions from several Democratic Senators about the allegations, calling them “anonymous smears” and blaming the media for waging a coordinated campaign against him. He also referred to numerous letters of support submitted for the record from military personnel and high-level employees at the veterans organizations.
Without getting into specifics, Hegseth said he was a changed man because of his third wife, Jennifer, and his relationship with Jesus Christ.
Presenting himself as a disruptor, Hegseth devoted his testimony to the veterans in the room and all those who were watching. He lamented the state of the defense establishment and talked about the need for accountability across the board for generals and rank-and-file alike.
“I support Pete because of everything that just happened in this hearing,” former Navy SEAL Joe Masalta told National Review at the conclusion of Tuesday’s proceedings. “He’s sharp, he’s intelligent. He has a clear focus, clear direction on where he wants to go, and he keeps the war fighters his number one priority.”