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.
People seriously do not understand the degree of nationalistic propaganda anyone on a military installation is subjected to.
Every poster, every event, every song, every sale ad for the commissary or other on-base stores, daily national anthem blasted over Giant Voice systems.
It’s not just the military members themselves exposed to it; it’s their spouses and children; people are raised from birth in this environment. It’s every retiree who got a job back on the same base they retired from active duty on.
There’s also a definite undercurrent of being put-upon special people separate from the civilians who don’t know what it’s like to sacrifice for “freedom”. It’s not a good atmosphere to rely on when an autocrat, who is their legal commander in chief, and who their media propagandizes for, tells them to do something that they theoretically should refuse. There’s so many avenues to just do it.