One of the clear lessons of Trump’s time in office, especially his second term, is the degree to which cabinet appointments matter. We have seen, for example, how the poor qualifications of the Secretary of Health and Human Services have led to an obvious degradation of public health. And we are seeing the consequences of appointing a weekend talk-show host to run the Pentagon.
The resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is just more evidence of this situation. I will note that Driscoll is a political ally of JD Vance, and was hardly the most qualified candidate for the job. Nonetheless, unlike a large number of Trump appointees, he seems to have been doing an adequate job. At a minimum, he seems to have seen what many of us have observed: Hegseth’s political agenda is damaging the US Army.
Via The Atlantic: Dan Driscoll’s Parting Shot.
During a White House meeting last week, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll brought his concerns about the future of the Army under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directly to President Trump—a sign of how far tensions between the two Pentagon leaders had escalated, and of the dysfunction inside the building, four people familiar with the conversation told us.
Trump was surprised when Driscoll told him how many generals and other top officers had been fired, pushed out, or passed over for promotion under Hegseth, one of the people said. Driscoll argued that the Army could not transform itself the way it needs to, because of the departure of so many leaders, this person said, adding that Trump expressed concern about the deep cuts to the Army’s senior leadership. Driscoll informed the president of his intention to resign—and by today, Driscoll was on his way out.
Hegseth’s purge of the military has been so dramatic that with Driscoll gone, the military’s largest service is left without a top civilian leader, a Senate-confirmed top general, a confirmed Army general in charge of operations, or a confirmed commander of Army troops in Europe. Because of all the firings across the service over the past year, the Army, with more than 450,000 active-duty soldiers positioned across the globe, has fewer generals than at any point in recent history. Driscoll’s personal appeal to Trump just days before his exit was the most direct articulation of high-level concerns among Pentagon leaders about the strains facing the force—including Hegseth’s intervention in Army personnel decisions and the mounting demands of the Iran war.
All of this would be bad enough under normal circumstances. But, of course, we are at war (or whatever the administration wants to call it) with Iran at the moment.
Moreover, the politicization of the armed forces under Hegseth is flatly dangerous and, like much this administration is doing, will take a lot longer to fix than it took to break it.
The Army has long prided itself on representing the diversity of the country, but under Hegseth, minorities and women have been pushed out or barred from promotion. The military has long sought to be apolitical, but under Hegseth, troops are measured not by combat experience but by their perceived loyalty to the administration. Among the generals fired have been some of the most experienced and decorated in the service. Each departure marks the loss of decades of investment in that soldier and raises questions about how future troops can rise through the ranks.
See also, Tom Nichols: Hegseth’s Pentagon Lurches off the Rails.
Hegseth’s tenure has been disastrous on multiple scores. Instead of giving sound advice to the commander in chief and ensuring that America remains secure while the president fights a deeply unwise war of choice, he has been pursuing his political grievances about DEI and other pet peeves against the U.S. military. Hegseth seems to have a special animus toward the Army, an institution he claims “spit me out.” He fired Army Chief of Staff General Randy George, and he has pushed out other senior Army officers; at this point, the Army has no Senate-confirmed chief of staff or secretary. (George’s replacement, General Christopher LaNeve, so far does not have the necessary votes to be confirmed.)
…Hegseth is apparently close to getting the Pentagon he wants: Much like his boss at the White House, Hegseth seems to desire a building full of loyalists who put the boss’s personal fortunes over the national interest. Some reports indicate, for example, that Hegseth wants to replace Driscoll with Parnell—who has no significant qualifications for the post beyond his time fighting with the press on the secretary’s behalf.
It would all be almost funny in a Keystone Kops kind of way, except for how serious this all is.
It never ceases to hit me between the eyes that this group of incompetents has a slogan about making America great, and all they do is erode and destroy American power and make greatness less and less of a possibility. It is stunning to behold.
To circle back to cabinet appointments, I never again want to hear the assertion (one that I have made myself in the past) that presidents are entitled to their preferred cabinet. No, they aren’t, and we are seeing the utter failure of “advise and consent” right in front of our eyes every single day.
It should be noted that Hegseth had to have Vance break a tie to get him over the finish line.
See also the NYT from a few days ago: Hegseth Blocks Promotions of Four Army Officers as Purge Widens.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is blocking the promotions of four Army officers selected for promotion to one-star rank, a highly unusual move that appears to be targeting officers who worked for generals he does not like, current and former defense officials said.
So far this year Mr. Hegseth has removed at least 45 officers, selected by boards made up of peers, from promotion lists. More than half of those officers have been female or Black.
Mr. Hegseth’s actions appear to violate the rules governing a promotion system that is meant to be apolitical and merit-based.
And not to range into media critiques as well, and I get it to a point, but “appears”? I think it is fair to say that this is far more than just appearances.
