The truth is to millions of American veterans, like us, the criticisms leveled against Hegseth’s nomination — that he has not worked in the defense industry nor in the Pentagon itself — are the exact reasons why he may just be right person for the job. This specific claim of “inexperience” reveals how little most of the media and Washington, D.C. insiders value military service below the rank of general.
The experience Hegseth has is unique. Less than one percent of the our nation’s citizens have served in the Armed Services. He served honorably in two wars and led the best of the nation within the beating heart of our military: the infantry. He experienced the unparalleled pressure of being a platoon commander in combat, personally responsible for taking 40 Americans to war and attempting to bring them home to their families.
He experienced the frustration of fighting in incredibly complicated and complex wars with an ever changing, and at times, nonexistent strategy. He experienced the heartache of seeing the so-called military and diplomatic experts fumble the withdrawal from Iraq in 2011 that enabled the rise of ISIS (those experts were then-Vice President Joe Biden and General Lloyd Austin). He experienced this heartache again in 2021 as the same team of experts, after assuming new roles, oversaw the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. He experienced all of this while he served.
These experiences matter. They may not be important to the defense lobbyists quoted in D.C. news outlets, but they matter to current and former service members who suffered the same pressures, frustrations, and heartbreaks as Hegseth. Many of us are desperate for senior leadership at the Pentagon that acknowledges our concerns and holds themselves accountable — and we have zero doubt that is exactly the type of leader Hegseth will be.
In his book, The War on the Warriors, Hegseth calls for the military to focus less on cultural and political issues and more on the needs of lower-level soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines. He argues that giving them the equipment they desire, the tough realistic training they need, and the servant leadership they deserve will produce the warfighting capabilities America needs to maintain its position of global leader.
Hegseth is right, and it’s why his background matters so much to veterans. Because being more attuned to the pain, suffering, misery, and frustration of the junior officers and enlisted is more valuable than being aware of the stock prices of defense contractors.
The list of problems facing the American military is long. There are two wars ongoing, China is increasingly likely to start a third, recruitment is lagging, and the current acquisitions model is broken. Using the same types of leaders, from the same backgrounds, will produce the same erosion of American military strength we’ve seen in recent years. A new type of leadership is required, and it should be one that understands, deeply and personally, the struggles the America warfighter has faced in the last twenty years of modern warfare.
The experience of junior officers and enlisted service members during the last twenty years is worth far more than time in corporate America. Time in the military, particularly in combat arms, is the experience brotherhood, service, and devotion to the nation. Having a Secretary of Defense, like Pete Hegseth, who is dedicated to those aspects is exactly what our military needs to see us through the chaos of our current era.
Jeremy Hunt, a West Point graduate, served as a U.S. Army intelligence captain and deployed to Ukraine in 2016. He’s now a political commentator and chairman of Veterans on Duty, a nonprofit organization focused on national security.
Garrett Exner is an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute where he writes and comments on special operations policy. He served as a special operations officer in the Marine Corps and is a board member at Veterans on Duty.