Based on the mixed responses by Senate Republicans, it’s clear the former Army National Guard officer (pictured above) – widely recognized as a Fox News personality – faces an uphill battle for confirmation. Still, many service members are hopeful for positive change in the DOD, welcoming the relinquishment of Lloyd Austin’s tenure as defense secretary.
For example, AFN spoke with Dr. Grant Smith, an Army major who has publicly expressed his optimism for the 44-year-old Hegseth.
Should Hegseth be confirmed by the Senate, Smith hopes he will prioritize “the loss of trust” that has plagued the morale of service members, most visibly noted by the recruiting and retention crisis. The Army major attributes that loss of trust to three circumstances.
“Hegseth, or whomever it may be, will have an obligation to right the wrongs of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate that put fealty to compromised institutions above the Constitution,” he says. The now-rescinded shot mandate, according to Smith, was clearly unlawful, tyrannically enforced, and caused grave harm to recruiting, retention, and trust.
Smith cited another factor behind the loss of trust: “The Global War on Terror [GWOT] cost trillions of dollars and thousands of lives without clearly contributing to the security of the nation, [and] this was punctuated by the disaster at Abbey Gate and the abrupt withdrawal from Afghanistan without any recognition from senior leaders that we might have done better.”
His third point places blame on “counterproductive” diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training and programs adopted by the military. “There is no convincing evidence that DEI enhances readiness – and leadership continuously asserting otherwise has destroyed their credibility,” he adds.
“In each these areas, trust was damaged because progressive societal imperatives outweighed the functional imperative to have the most ready and capable military possible,” Smith argues. “The most important step to restoring trust in the military is to meet these issues head on and address each one of them.”
Whether Hegseth or someone else assumes DOD leadership, Smith is convinced if these concerns are finally addressed, "we can start rebuilding the trust so essential to military readiness and lethality.”
'Outside-the-box' is the way to go
AFN also spoke with Commander (CDR) Robert A. Green, Jr., an active-duty officer in the U.S. Navy. Like Smith, he sees hope on the horizon – specifically in the nomination strategies adopted by the Trump Transition Team.
“First, they are nominating a number of victims of government weaponization to lead the very institutions that targeted them,” he explains. “And second, they are prioritizing young, outside-the-box thinkers.”
Green contends if Hegseth is indeed confirmed, America will be better for it – provided he takes a similar approach once installed.
“… I think [Hegseth's] best strategy would be to continue that bold staffing strategy at both the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the military departments while balancing out his team with the experienced national security policy makers and leaders who did not survive the Obama administration’s ideological purge.”
Dr. Smith and CDR Green emphasized that their views do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Defense, the Department of the Army, or Department of the Navy.
Editor’s note: Robert Green, Jr., is author of "Defending the Constitution Behind Enemy Lines."
