Dem
47
GOP
53
During his confirmation hearing, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth promised to purge the DoD of woke generals, women, minorities, and DEI. Now he is doing it. Specifically, he is targeting four-star generals, especially women and people of color. He already fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Charles Brown Jr., a decorated Air Force general (who is Black) and Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to run the Navy. Now he is expanding the purge. Hegseth knows nothing of defense planning or strategy (not to mention communications security) but he can definitely tell a Black general from a white one and a female admiral from a male one. Unfortunately, gay generals are a bit harder to pick out, but if he rolls up his sleeves and puts all of his effort into the project, maybe he could find some.
Specifically, Hegseth wants to fire 20% of the four-star generals, without too much regard to what they do. He said this will increase readiness and the ability of the U.S. to fight wars. There are currently 44 four-star generals, so a 20% reduction would be eight or nine, assuming Hegseth can do fourth-grade math and understands percentages. Typically, four-star generals and admirals have broad responsibilites over sizable programs and budgets. If a substantial number are fired, either someone else will have to take over the work or the work will have to be canceled somehow.
The ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), was not amused. He said: "Eliminating the positions of many of our most skilled and experienced officers without sound justification would not create 'efficiency' in the military—it could cripple it." Reed wants Hegseth to appear before the Committee and explain what he is doing. That would be interesting, because Hegseth knows nothing about what generals do and would be able to talk only in vague generalities, like "woke is bad." (V)