How Pete Hegseth’s book on ‘woke’ Pentagon helped him land secretary of defense nomination

By Anna Young | New York Post

Fox News personality and Army National Guard member Pete Hegseth’s latest book slamming the military’s embrace of “woke” ideologies helped secure his nomination for secretary of defense by President-elect Donald Trump.

Trump shocked political observers Tuesday night by tapping the “Fox & Friends Weekend” co-host — a vocal Trump supporter and advocate for exiling military leadership who enforce diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives — to serve as defense secretary.

Hegseth, who has served tours of duty in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay as an infantry officer, is the author of “The War on Warriors,” a best-selling book in which the Trump nominee blames the “woke military” for the recruiting crisis facing the nation’s armed services.

“For the past three years — after President Barack Obama poured the social justice foundation — the Pentagon, across all branches, has embraced the social justice message of gender equality, racial diversity, climate stupidity, and the LGBTQA+ alphabet soup in their recruiting pushes,” Hegseth wrote in his book, released in June.

“Only one problem: There just aren’t enough lesbians from San Francisco who want to join the 82nd Airborne. Not only do the lesbians not join, but those very same ads turn off the young, patriotic, Christian men who have traditionally filled our ranks.”

Trump touted Hegseth’s book in his announcement, adding that he’s “tough, smart and a true believer in America First.”

“The book reveals the leftwing betrayal of our warriors, and how we must return our Military to meritocracy, lethality, accountability, and excellence,” wrote the president-elect, who frequently railed against “woke generals.”

“With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice — Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down.”

In a podcast with ex-Navy SEAL Shawn Ryan, Hegseth said trust between service members and their superiors has been fractured by leaders who cater to the “socially correct garbage.”

“You’ve got to fire the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and obviously, to bring in a new secretary of defense, but any general that was involved, general, admiral, whatever that was involved in any of the DEI woke s–t has to go,” he said in the Nov. 7 episode of “The Shawn Ryan Show.”

“I know there were mistakes made on our tours all over the place. But I, at least for the most part, had a sense that my senior leaders were committed to the completion of the mission for the right reasons, and maybe there were strategic differences and all that other stuff. And it wasn’t always perfect, but now that trust is broken. And you have to re-establish that trust by putting in no nonsense warfighters in those positions who aren’t going to cater to the socially correct garbage.”

The Minnesota native received two Bronze Stars for his service overseas as well as two Army Commendation Medals.

Hegseth still serves in the Minnesota Army National Guard’s Individual Ready Reserve, according to multiple outlets, and has also served as the head of Concerned Veterans of America — a conservative nonprofit advocacy group.

He had been considered for the position of Veterans Affairs secretary following Trump’s election in 2016, but that job ultimately went to David Shulkin.

Hegseth unsuccessfully ran for Senate in Minnesota in 2012 before joining Fox News in 2014.

Congressional rules require nominees to have been out of uniform for at least seven years to serve as the secretary of defense, likely resulting in Hegseth needing a congressional waiver before being confirmed.

First published on the New York Post

The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free
DESCRIPTION: Real men fought for our freedoms. It’s time we fought for theirs.

Pete Hegseth joined the Army to fight extremists. Then that same Army called him one. The military Pete joined twenty years ago was fiercely focused on lethality, competency, and color blindness. Today our brass are following the rest of our country off the cliff of cultural chaos and weakness.

Americans with common sense are fighting this on many fronts, but if we can’t save the meritocracy of our military, we’re definitely going to lose everywhere else.

The War on Warriors uncovers the deep roots of our dysfunction—a society that has forgotten the men who take risks, cut through red tape, and get their hands dirty. The only kind of men prepared to face the dangers that the Left pretends don’t exist. Unlike issues of education or taxes or crime, this problem doesn’t have a zip code solution. We can’t move away from it. We can’t avoid it. We have only one Pentagon. Either we take it back or surrender it altogether.

Combining his own war experiences, tales of outrage, and an incisive look at how the chain of command got so kinked, this book is the key to saving our warriors—and winning future wars. The War on Warriors must be won by the good guys, because when the shooting really starts, they’re the only ones who can save us.