They said Hegseth is becoming increasingly “obsessed” with his own security and exhibits frenzied behavior, such as fidgeting and pacing during meetings.
“Dude is crawling out of his skin,” another source said.— Jason "Red5" Lyall (@jaylyall.bsky.social) September 29, 2025 at 4:56 PM
War with his personal demons, it sounds like. Wonder if he’ll bring his ball bearings to fondle at the meeting?
… The defense secretary—who prefers the moniker “Secretary of War”—is being described by staffers as “manic,” erupting into fits of rage and tumultuous tirades, the Daily Mail reported on Monday.
While he has reportedly always been temperamental, two staffers claim the former Fox News star’s mental state has reached new, frenzied heights after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk earlier this month…
Also under scrutiny are Hegseth’s extensive personal security demands, which, according to the paper, are now straining the Army agency responsible for protecting him. The Army’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID) has reportedly pulled agents away from criminal probes in order to safeguard Hegseth’s residences in Minnesota, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C.
Sources told the Mail that those security measures have, in part, been driven by Hegseth’s [third] wife, former Fox News producer Jennifer Rauchet Hegseth, whose requests for protection go “far beyond” what’s been granted to other Trump administration officials…
More importantly, if your objective is regime consolidation over the military, then bringing together 800 irritated top officers is the worst possible idea. They wouldn’t normally conspire electronically, but stranding them together during a govt shutdown gives them time to talk & compare notes.??
— Sanho Tree (@sanho.bsky.social) September 29, 2025 at 5:58 PM
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Breaking WaPo:
Military leaders have raised serious concerns with the Trump admin's new defense strategy — exposing a divide between the Pentagon's political and uniformed leadership.
?The critiques from multiple top officers, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs.— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1.bsky.social) September 29, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Great photo choice, yes? Gift link:
… The critiques from multiple top officers, including Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, come as Hegseth reorders U.S. military priorities — centering the Pentagon on perceived threats to the homeland, narrowing U.S. competition with China, and downplaying America’s role in Europe and Africa.
President Donald Trump will attend the abrupt gathering of generals and admirals at Marine Corps Base Quantico, where Hegseth is expected to deliver remarks on military standards and the “warrior ethos,” even as uniformed leaders fear mass firings or a drastic reorganization of the combatant command structure and the military hierarchy.
The debate over the National Defense Strategy — the Pentagon’s primary guide for how it prioritizes resources and positions U.S. forces around the world — is the latest challenge for top military officials navigating the Trump administration’s unorthodox approach to the armed forces.
People familiar with the editing process, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive deliberations, described a growing sense of frustration with a plan they consider myopic and potentially irrelevant, given the president’s highly personal and sometimes contradictory approach to foreign policy…
Trump political appointees within the Pentagon’s policy office — including some officials who have previously criticized long-standing American commitments to Europe and the Middle East — drafted the strategy, now in its final edits.
The draft plan has been shared widely with military leaders from the global combatant commands to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, some of whom questioned what its priorities would mean for a force designed to respond to crises around the globe, according to three people familiar with the matter…
The document’s tone is also far more partisan than past strategies, saying the Biden administration caused an erosion of America’s military in rhetoric similar to Hegseth’s speeches, two people familiar with the plan said.
Hegseth, meanwhile, is leading an overhaul of the armed forces, promising to cut the roughly 800 generals and admirals overseeing the U.S. military by 20 percent and redraw the lines of the U.S.’s combatant commands. The secretary has already fired senior officers, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti. A disproportionate number of women have been relieved during the sackings…
That interim document also hinted at the emerging strategy to use military personnel in a more assertive role at home and abroad. The Pentagon was directed by Hegseth to “prioritize efforts to seal our borders, repel forms of invasion including unlawful mass migration, narcotics trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking, and other criminal activities, and deport illegal aliens in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security,” according to the document.
“‘He gave Hegseth very frank feedback,’ one of the two people said, noting Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby was also included in the discussion. ‘I don’t know if Hegseth even understands the magnitude of the NDS, which is why I think Caine tried so hard.’”
Meritocracy.— NotreDale (@notredale.bsky.social) September 29, 2025 at 8:02 PM
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Hegseth has had a lot of bad ideas, but this one is disruptive and even somewhat dangerous. All of these men and women have real jobs they should be doing.
www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/…— Tom Nichols (@radiofreetom.bsky.social) September 29, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Everyone loves meetings! Who isn’t a fan of those congenial time wasters common in the government, where an entire organization piles into a poorly ventilated auditorium to hear the leadership explain things that could have just been an email?…
But Secretary of Defense/War/Lethality Pete Hegseth isn’t going to use that technology. Instead, he recently decided that some 800 generals and admirals needed to come, in person, from every corner of the planet to a Marine base at Quantico, Virginia, reportedly to listen to their boss, a former TV host, lecture them on the “warrior ethos”—and, for some reason, personal grooming. The Tuesday meeting will feature not only Hegseth but also a last-minute addition: the commander in chief himself….
It is possible, of course, that Hegseth is convening this jamboree because something genuinely terrible is afoot. Perhaps he wants all of America’s top officers in the same room when he tells them, for example, that the United States is on the brink of going to war, or that the Pentagon has been deeply compromised by spies and all of our military secrets are now in Moscow or Beijing. But if America is heading into a crisis, then Hegseth’s call for a meeting is even more irresponsible, because in a time of danger all these people should be at their posts, not in an auditorium in Virginia.
More likely, however, Hegseth is ordering up a “loyalty check,” which is what the military calls it when the bosses schedule a surprise meeting just to make everyone show up. As the least qualified defense secretary in modern history, he must know that he has a credibility problem with many senior national-security leaders, and he is clearly angry about the leaks—often about him—dribbling out of the Pentagon on an almost-daily basis. The secretary may see this as a chance to remind America’s military who’s in charge…
What if something more substantive is in the works? Americans—and Congress—should be especially alert for anything that goes beyond a “Come on in for the big win” speech from either Hegseth or Trump. One possibility is that Hegseth is going to engage in some personnel-related shock and awe, and fire people in front of their colleagues. The officers, as The Atlantic’s editor in chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, said on Washington Week last week, “don’t know if they’re coming to a pep rally or the Red Wedding.” Hegseth is on the record saying that the military is too top-heavy with senior officers, but a public dismissal of U.S.-military leaders would be both terrible management and a gift to our enemies. (Imagine Vladimir Putin’s smirk as he tells the Russian general staff: “At least you don’t work in the Pentagon.”) It is nonetheless conceivable that some officers will arrive in Quantico as top commanders and leave as retirees.
Another possibility is that Hegseth has decided that his schemes for reorganizing the U.S. military just aren’t being taken seriously enough. Hegseth has been getting resistance to his push to reshape several military commands, so he may be trying to announce new structures as a fait accompli and then order the officers—who would have to draw up the actual plans—to make them happen. Hegseth surely knows that they can still slow-roll his ideas into oblivion, and he may have called this meeting because he somehow thinks he has enough force of personality to stare down some 800 men and women who were officers when he was still in high school…
In the end, I suspect that Hegseth is trying to bolster his stature by flexing his bureaucratic muscles. He’s disrupting the work and daily life of hundreds of people to emphasize that he has the power to do so. Like Trump himself, Hegseth seems to feel the need to do things that others think are unwise as a way of demonstrating toughness and independence. Both men remind me of Miles, the creepy child in the Henry James novella The Turn of the Screw. When Miles misbehaves, his governess asks him why he would do such a thing. “Why, it was to show you I could!” he says. “And I can again.”
i will admit that it is very funny to imagine generals (and their egos) reading an email telling them they’re being summoned to washington by a fucking guardsman for a lecture on the wArRiOr MiNdSeT
— GOLIKEHELLMACHINE (@golikehellmachine.com) September 29, 2025 at 8:30 PM
IT’S FINE IT’S JUST A LITTLE COKE, IT’S NOT LIKE I AM DRINKING YOU KNOW
— GOLIKEHELLMACHINE (@golikehellmachine.com) September 29, 2025 at 8:12 PM
WELL, NOT MUCH, AT LEAST. NOTHING BEFORE LUNCH. UNLESS I’M UP FROM THE NIGHT BEFORE. ITS UNDER CONTROL.
— Malaclypse the Middle (@malaclypse.bsky.social) September 29, 2025 at 8:16 PM
i have known more than one dry drunk who developed *devastating* stimulant problems after they quit drinking
— GOLIKEHELLMACHINE (@golikehellmachine.com) September 29, 2025 at 8:11 PM
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you know, one possible outcome of Trump crashing the Generals Sesh is that Trump develops a new mancrush on a new man in uniform
— post malone ergo propter malone (@proptermalone.bsky.social) September 29, 2025 at 8:03 PM
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It works on so many levels…
— Dana Houle (@danahoule.bsky.social) September 29, 2025 at 2:20 PM
War for Ukraine Day 1,313: Z’chor Babyn Yar!
Sister Inspired Revolver of Freedom
Hesgeth is going through alcohol withdrawal and it’s definitely not going well. One wonders what will happen if he shows up to this exceptional meeting drunk?
NotMax
“I’m glad you’re all here. You’ll find index cards under your seats, some with a checkmark, others with an X. I’ve decided to bring back the ancient and noble Roman military tradition of decimation. Which means 80 of you won’t be leaving this room in the same state in which you arrived. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
//
Deputinize America
James Forrestal comes to mind here. Better board up the windows on the upper floors at Walter Reed.
Or better yet, don’t. 😆
sab
Pete Hegseth, drunken jerk promoted way beyond his capabilities. Fox producers (including his wife) are in a class by themselves for destroying our government.
Bad parents. His mom tagged him then relented. Enabling him yet again.
ETA I don’t believe he ever stopped drinking. Alcohol detox takes awhile. Cold turkey from severe alcoholism can kill you. One of the few addictions where withdrawal can actually kill. Heroin doesn’t. Alcohol does.
Bruce K in ATH-GR
Just had an unsettling thought:
Idiocracy would be an improvement over our current reality.
Shalimar
Did Fox News’ Pete Hegseth Say ‘Germs Are Not A Real Thing’? | Snopes.com
Do we really want a guy who doesn’t wash his hands because he doesn’t believe in germs lecturing the military on proper grooming?
sab
@Shalimar: Of course we don’t. But that is what we have.
Plus: he is a drunk.
Shalimar
@sab: Being a drunk is probably the bigger problem, but there are millions of severe alcoholics in the country. Who the fuck doesn’t believe in germs? How is that even a thing? Why did wife #3 leave her previous husband for sex with someone who might not even bathe?
It would also be funny if the military spent millions protecting the idiot and his wife only for them both to die of dysentery.
NotMax
@sab
Foster Brooks would make a better SecDef.
//
sab
@Shalimar: Here’s hoping ( for dysentery.)
sab
@Shalimar: Eugenics beliefs by the white poodles of the human race. White poodles are cute but weird. I don’t accept them as the ultimate paradigm of perfect dogs.
Also too, I am of northwestern European descent. I don’t accept us as a paradigm either. We fry in the sun. I get pre skin cancers burned off every year. So I cannot survive naturally in North America. Yet somehow these freaks think people like me are the best of our species?
MattF
Blame the right person. Trump thinks he looks the part, and that’s the only qualification Hegseth needs.
sab
Lately I watch Hollywood movies where people are running around shrieking because whatever stress they are facing (divorce, natural disaster) and I think : Really? Real people don’t do this. Real people hunker down and try to quietly cope.
Sally
@sab: Judging by my family, you are so, so correct.
Or quietly fall apart.
Ten Bears
What kind of monkey wears a plaid suit … ?
Seriously …
Baud
I would have liked to reduce the defense budget without ruining our military.
Looks like we’ll ruin our military while increasing the defense budget.
It’s a choice.
robtrim
@Sister Inspired Revolver of Freedom: He’s a classic dry drunk.
Baud
I’ll be interested in seeing how the brass reacts to Hegseth’s rendition of Modern Major-General’s Song from The Pirates of Penzance.
NotMax
@Ten Bears
Since you asked….
;)
Baud
Via reddit, if accurate, this might be why the Dems didn’t want to agree to an extension to prevent the shutdown.
Barney
To be fair, Hegseth’s attempts at electronic communication in the past have ended up with him telling classified information to spouses and journalists. If they let him talk to the generals and admirals via email, he’d probably cc Kim Jong Un’s daughter in on it.
Deputinize America
@Baud:
American voters have it coming, good and hard.
Deputinize America
America’s Bestest ally, the most moral state ever, anointed by God as His Chosen, sticks thumb in Donald Trump’s eye and makes sure that Hamas absolutely gains nothing by accepting the much vaunted Peace Plan.
theguardian.com/world/live/2025/sep/30/netanyahu-israel-gaza-hamas-trump-peace-plan-latest-news-midd…
LOL
rikyrah
The Secretary of Defense is an unserious unqualified person.
What a downgrade😒😒
Bruce K in ATH-GR
@Baud: I don’t know if the better song might be “Ruler of the Queen’s Navee” from H.M.S. Pinafore. “Polished up the knocker so faithfully”?
rikyrah
@Baud:
Not one Democrat should vote for this
Baud
@rikyrah:
We’ll probably lose Fetterman.
What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?
If the military brass is serious about honoring their oath to protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic this seems like a primo opportunity since both the defense secretary and his boss will be there at the same location with them. I don’t actually think it’ll happen but if I were this administration I don’t I’d risk it. But then I’ve been told I’m not a complete moron by credible sources.
Baud
Via Reddit
“Why can’t Democrats turn down the temperature?”
Deputinize America
@What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?:
All it takes is one person who just collected a terminal diagnosis…..
Baud
Via reddit, Allison Moon is a hero.
Quantum man
@sab: Wonder if today we will see a version of Khan’s plan as in Star Trek: Into darkness. Gather all command officers into the same room and then take them all out. Tactical success, strategic blunder.
lowtechcyclist
@Baud:
Just one ‘l’ in ‘Alison’ but yes she is.
p.a
Comrade Sta… President tRump would like to see all you generals NOW!
Applying tRump’s razor…
Go long on China.
Wilson Heath
Totally unrelated, but I just watched The Death of Stalin last night and love this scene: youtu.be/ytA-0xTYRUo?si=N8kJYpJoaiZ1jfHO&t=44
satby
Is it bad that I’m hoping that the generals finally decide in favor of their oaths and coup?
Steve Paradis
@Wilson Heath: How do you have to be to steal scenes from Steve Buscemi? That good.
Steve Paradis
I suppose you’re wondering why I called this meeting.
youtu.be/edQy5jBxhV8?si=XLQYrbdrQNlS9kUl
Trivia Man
Announcement we are in contact with extraterrestrials
I also hadn’t considered it is an audition before the king. On brand for him to make his decisions mostly on physical appearance. Not impossible he replaces the entire cabinet with “his” generals.
Trivia Man
The skateboard clip is better than Hans Moleman’s work in Football To The Groin
Aziz, light!
If surprise firings of senior officers are on the agenda, why do I expect them to be Black people, women, or for extra credit, Black women?
Matt McIrvin
I get the impression there actually wasn’t much of a plan here–Trump only got personally involved at the 11th hour. So any number of insane and tyrannical things could happen, but it’s not the culmination of some elaborate strategy, it’s the usual madness and stupidity made acute.
JMG
This event makes it pretty clear that if Trump starts a war, he and his fellow nitwits will lose it.
Paul in KY
@Aziz, light!: Current odds: 2-5.
terraformer
@Matt McIrvin:
He just wants to show up because “they’re MY generals”
Kathleen
@Bruce K in ATH-GR: At least President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho had more charm and elan
Matt McIrvin
@JMG: The modern US usually can’t even win wars (by the criterion of achieving its political goals) even when its military is doing a superb job as a fighting force, because we pick dumb wars to fight. Hegseth of course sees macho posturing and war crimes as the goals so maybe the geopolitical outcome doesn’t matter to him. But he seems to be gutting the force so that it won’t even be able to fight.
1,000 flouncing lurkers (was fidelioscabinet)
@Wilson Heath: Jason Isaacs had such good lines in that and enjoyed all of them. And Buscemi was scarily convincing as Khrushchev.
BellaPea
Haha, AL, great reference to The Caine Mutiny. I watched a few minutes of this asinine display on MSNBC with the sound turned off. Dump droned on like the demented grandpa that he is these days. Kegsbreath looked like he was going to explode at any minute. I imagine 90% of those professional military officers were extremely irritated at having to drop everything so they could sit through this fucked-up puppet show.
Whomever
@Bruce K in ATH-GR: Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho is an infinitely better president than what we have. He genuinely cared about his people, he hired experts to advise him, and listened to them.
cckids
@Bruce K in ATH-GR:
Indeed it would.
What’s the difference between an airplane and the USA?
The airplane’s right wing isn’t actively trying to crash it.
Paul in KY
@1,000 flouncing lurkers (was fidelioscabinet): Steve did do a good Khrushchev, even though he doesn’t really look like him at all.
Chris T.
@Shalimar:
I don’t believe in gravity, which is why I keep floating away.