Hegseth’s “Urgent” Military Meeting Is for Dumbest Reason Imaginable (newrepublic.com)

submitted 1 week ago by miss_demeanour@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/politics@lemmy.world

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"Pete #Hegseth’s big, urgent military summit will just be a “pep rally” for what he calls the “warrior ethos.” "

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[-] Theprogressivist@lemmy.world 20 points 1 week ago

“It’s about getting the horses into the stable and whipping them into shape,” an anonymous defense official told the outlet. “And the guys with the stars on their shoulders make for a better audience from an optics standpoint. This is a showcase for Hegseth to tell them: Get on board, or potentially have your career shortened.”

Ah, so this was all just to threaten them.

[-] ultranaut@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

He is trying to get as many of them to resign as he can by jerking their chain.

[-] some_designer_dude@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Takes balls to gather the actually toughest people in the world and then try to intimidate them.

[-] Zaktor@sopuli.xyz 8 points 1 week ago

US military leadership are not remotely the toughest people in the world.

[-] Wytch@lemmy.zip 15 points 1 week ago

Hegseth plans to have his speech recorded and later released.

Oh that should be fuckin hilarious

[-] PattyMcB@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

Every member of the armed forces needs to remember that they are required NOT to follow ILLEGAL orders, and they've sworn to uphold and defend THE CONSTITUTION from ALL ENEMIES, foreign and DOMESTIC

[-] RandomStickman@fedia.io 12 points 1 week ago

This is the peak "this could have been an email" meeting

[-] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

Is this like that asshat manager that always wants to hold some "team building" exercise, make everyone travel into the office or some central location, and then make it all about themselves?

[-] tidderuuf@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago

It's probably a good time for those generals and admirals to discuss how they will overthrow the soon to be despot.

[-] resipsaloquitur@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

I can’t believe this thought hasn’t occurred to them.

“You had enough of this shit too?”

[-] Seleni@lemmy.world 0 points 1 week ago

The military is a machine, not a person. You point, click, and tell them what to shoot. That’s it. They don’t do political policy.

And really, that’s a good thing if you think about it. Like it or not, Trump and his flunkies are in the White House because the majority of voters put them there, so when you get down to it, it’s the majority’s job to get rid of him if they don’t like him.

I mean, do you really want the military to go, ‘hey, we know y’all elected this guy, but we don’t like him, so we’re going to just get rid of him’? Just because they’d be getting rid of a guy we don’t like this time doesn’t make it a good thing.

[-] TheLowestStone@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago

I mean, do you really want the military to go, ‘hey, we know y’all elected this guy, but we don’t like him, so we’re going to just get rid of him’? Just because they’d be getting rid of a guy we don’t like this time doesn’t make it a good thing.

No, but I do want them to refuse to follow illegal orders.

[+] Randomgal@lemmy.ca -11 points 1 week ago

You can't have your cake and eat it too my guy.

[-] HarneyToker@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

What does that even mean?

[-] BigPotato@lemmy.world 0 points 1 week ago

To tell the Sec Def "No, I won't be showing up" is deny a lawful order. Your boss can tell you to be somewhere.

If the US Military starts to play political games, like denying an otherwise lawful order because it came from an asshole, they're breaking different parts of their own internal rules.

That said, if the civilian arm in charge of the military, e.g. the executive branch, decides to say that the Army can, and should, unilaterally bomb unidentified boats in their region for 'defence purposes', that's now a lawful order so you can't deny that one.

And as an average joe, you can beat the rap (in thirty years when they pardon you) but you can't beat the ride. Enjoy your DD.

[-] PunnyName@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

Irrelevant comment.

[-] Auli@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 week ago

I mean yes. Just because the president says something doesn't make it legal. Now everything he says might be legal but who knows.

[-] ramenshaman@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

Military personnel swear on oath to the constitution, not to the president.

[-] tidderuuf@lemmy.world 5 points 1 week ago

If you really think the US military is just a machine then I would like you to do a little research and find out what all the recent 3 and 4 star generals are doing after they retire. I can tell you they are not sippin pina coladas on Coronado.

[-] Zaktor@sopuli.xyz 4 points 1 week ago

All those other countries who have had military coups should have told their militaries that they don't do political policy.

[-] baronvonj@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

Trump and his flunkies are in the White House because the majority of voters put them there,

Incorrect. A majority of voters selected other candidates. Trump received 49.8% of the vote.

[-] Cethin@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 week ago

Their first loyalty is to the constitution. If they are given orders that violate the constitution then they are obligated to not obey them. If the president is abusing his power to destroy the constitution then they are obligated to protect it.

Whatever orders they're given come after this first responsibility.

[-] Zexks@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

Yes. When they tell thr military "hey were throwing out the rukes you kill who we tell you no matter what"

I expect them to immediately kill the threat in front of them. Not dance with them and try to negotiate.

[-] BigPotato@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago

I should clarify - the U.S. Army Warrior Ethos is

I will always place the mission first.

I will never accept defeat.

I will never quit.

I will never leave a fallen comrade.

So... Flying everyone back to D.C. for a pep rally is quite literally making them not place the mission first and violating the first line...

So, yeah, he's planning a coup.

[-] betterdeadthanreddit@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago

What the fuck, Pete.

[-] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

“It’s about getting the horses into the stable and whipping them into shape,” an anonymous defense official told the outlet. “And the guys with the stars on their shoulders make for a better audience from an optics standpoint. This is a showcase for Hegseth to tell them: Get on board, or potentially have your career shortened.”

The meeting announcement was sudden and ambiguous, and will pull these senior military leaders away from their previous assignments.

Hegesth’s “warrior ethos” hinges on his belief that the military is too woke. He is expected to use Tuesday’s meeting to go over new fitness and grooming standards for officers.

I can totally see that as the actual reason. It’s stupid, it’s incompetent, it’s fascist, and it’s totally self-serving for (in this case) Drinky Pete.

[-] CaptainBlinky@lemmy.myserv.one 1 points 1 week ago

Oh, it's definitely the case. There's new beard rules (i.e., no more beards), and one of my employees is thinking about letting his reserve contract end over it because he can't get a medical exemption (he has a skin condition). He was planning to stay on until pension retirement, until this idiot took over.

[-] Tigeroovy@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 week ago

These people are all such fucking losers.

[-] TuffNutzes@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

The Trump regime has to be the saddest bunch of insecure fucking losers that have ever had the reigns of power.

[-] PunnyName@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

The wasps are running the hospital.

[-] negativenull@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

This is the ethos:

[-] baronvonj@lemmy.world 6 points 1 week ago

As someone with actual Norwegian roots I can't stand the Nazis' appropriation of imagery. Not that there is anything that I can stand about the Nazis.

[-] Cethin@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 week ago

Yeah, any time I see someone with viking/Nordic symbols I have to play the game of "nerd or nazi" (nerd is a good thing in this instance). I usually assume Nazi, and that hurts.

[-] mojofrododojo@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

this is the only valhalla kash is ever gonna get

[-] kat_angstrom@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Unless that's just the shitty cover story

[-] Brunbrun6766@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

Sounds like a cover story to me

[-] mfed1122@discuss.tchncs.de 0 points 1 week ago

Isn't this not that dumb of a reason? Look at it this way. The summit is to make clear and solidify the new ideological direction of the entire military. I think it's pretty scary still.

[-] Maeve@kbin.earth 1 points 1 week ago

I don't believe them either

[-] mfed1122@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 1 week ago

Right. Like "pep rally for the warrior ethos" is pretty broad. Maybe the warrior ethos includes slaughtering those pesky transgenders

this post was submitted on 26 Sep 2025

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