Veterans react to Hegseth's insulting' address to generals and admirals

"Naveed Shah, a veteran and activist who served as an enlisted public affairs specialist an army journalist uncharacteristically found himself searching for words to describe the address of the newly styled secretary of war to flag officers on Tuesday. A lot of the words that are coming to me aren't fit to print, said Shah, policy director for Common Defense, a veterans advocacy organization."

"The people in that room who have served for 20, 30-plus years in uniform do not need Pete Hegseth to tell them about warrior ethos. Hegseth's hour-long Ted talk-style address touching on physical fitness, the doctrine of lethality and the perils of DEI certainly drew more attention than a policy memo might have, and perhaps more than Donald Trump's rambling, politically charged hour-long speech that followed."

"Online chatter in military groups ahead of the unprecedented, secrecy-shrouded meeting of 800 generals and admirals called to Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia had revolved around a demand for some loyalty oath to the administration, or public firings or a declaration of war. Some described it as karmic revenge for decades of mandatory hour-long safety briefings held by unit commanders before dismissing troops for the weekend."

"Many also wondered if the expensive challenge to security could have been an email. Certainly, addressing the troops could be useful or beneficial, but to call 800-plus generals and senior enlisted advisers from around the world into this room just before a government shutdown? It's not just bad optics or strategy, Shah said. A bad cold could have threatened our entire chain of command. Pittard"

A newly styled secretary of war delivered an hour-long, TED-talk-style address to over 800 generals and senior enlisted advisers at Marine Corps Base Quantico. The address emphasized physical fitness, a doctrine of lethality, and criticized DEI, drawing more attention than typical policy memos and a subsequent politically charged presidential speech. Senior veterans and officers reacted with anger and insult, rejecting claims of promotional quotas for officers of color. Critics also raised safety and security concerns about convening so many senior leaders just before a potential government shutdown.

Read at www.theguardian.com