Over 120 retired U.S. generals and admirals signed a letter on Monday offering their “strong support” for Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense. The letter follows a period of intense media scrutiny, with allegations largely sourced from anonymous individuals.
They wrote:
He understands combat from the grass roots level and will take that much needed perspective with him as the next SECDEF. He has studied and experienced the disastrous effects Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) has on our military and he is committed to expunging it from our armed forces. His focus is solely on warfighting readiness so that our military is prepared to fulfill its mission—to fight and win our Nation’s wars.
The retired generals and admirals expressed that Hegseth’s deep commitment to the military was clear, and his experience in Iraq and Afghanistan demonstrated that he was the “warrior” the U.S. needed to lead its armed forces.
They highlighted that Trump chose Hegseth from a pool of highly skilled and qualified candidates, believing him to be the most capable individual to reform the Pentagon.
They added:
President Trump has the right and responsibility to select key people who are capable of fulfilling his promises to the American people. Prominent in that mandate was making our military strong and lethal, to include removing what is called “wokeness” in the form of (DEI) from our armed forces.
In the past week and a half, several Republican senators have expressed confidence in Hegseth’s ability to lead the Department of Defense after meeting with the 44-year-old.
On Monday, Trump addressed Hegseth’s confirmation process, telling reporters that he has been “making tremendous strides over the last week.”
“He’s going to be great,” Trump said. “Look, he went to Princeton. He went to Harvard. He was a great student there. But he really was, from the first day I met him, all he wanted to talk about was military. He’s just a military guy. I think it’s a natural.”
