A retired Lieutenant General has come out strongly against Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth after a speech they gave to military leaders at Quantico. The general said they crossed a line that most officers know should never be broken.
During the talk, Trump wandered into a joke about there being “two N words,” clarifying the second one was nuclear. Hegseth pushed hard against what he called woke practices, even taking aim at women in the armed forces and soldiers with beards.
Retired Lieutenant General Mark Hertling told an interviewer that Hegseth was essentially asking commanders to go against their oath. He said: “Those individuals will leave that room or left that room yesterday and they’ll start discussing and analyzing how they can implement some of the lawful orders that they got.”
Hertling pointed out that many soldiers were likely writing down concerns as they listened. He said: “We can’t do that, or we shouldn’t do that, or this is a true violation of what we are as professionals or, hey, I’ve got women in my ranks who are performing admirably. Why should I kind of lump them all together like the secretary did?”
The retired general was clear that illegal orders would not be carried out. He said: “I guarantee you that the people in that audience will not execute illegal orders.”
He also described the embarrassment many in the room felt. Hertling said: “All of them, not only were they personally embarrassed, but they were embarrassed for their services that had, you know, sit in that audience and listen to this kind of stuff.”
He criticized Trump and Hegseth for breaking the principle of praising in public but disciplining in private. Hertling said this turned into a spectacle that risked separating the military from the public they serve.
What Trump and Hegseth will do next with the military remains unclear. What is clear is that any changes they suggest will bring more controversy both inside and outside the ranks.
