Op-Ed: Tiffany Smiley: Pete Hegseth is exactly what the United States military needs. I've seen this firsthand.

Pete was a friend and ally who helped me advance my fight for our veterans even when it wasn’t flashy, cool, or drove television ratings; he did it because it was the right thing to do.

On November 5th, Americans elected President Donald Trump with a clear mandate to turn our country around after four disastrous years under Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. On November 6th, Democrats began their campaign to undercut President Trump and his cabinet nominees with threats and cancel culture.

We’ve seen these tactics play out in real time over the last several weeks as the Left has formed a vicious coalition against Pete Hegseth, President Trump’s nominee to be our next Secretary of Defense. Despite their attempts to spread lies and smear his record and service to our nation, Pete Hegseth has emerged stronger, with an unwavering commitment to serve our country.

The response we’ve seen from Pete Hegseth in the face of the Left’s attempts to create chaos is a reflection of what America will see under his leadership as Secretary of Defense: resilience, strength, and unshakable resolve. As a veteran who served in the Minnesota National Guard in Afghanistan, Iraq, and at Guantanamo Bay, as well as the CEO of Concerned Veterans for America, Pete has worked to bring our military back to its former glory as the greatest fighting force in history. Pete has fought for our country; he’s fought for our armed service members and he’s a strong advocate for our country. He must be confirmed as our next Secretary of Defense.

My own service and dedication to our veterans began in April 2005, when my husband Scotty was left blind by a suicide bomber in Iraq. I booked a one-way flight to Walter Reed Medical Center to care for him and began a life-long commitment to help America’s heroes: our nation’s veterans. I know that the most important trait in a Secretary of Defense is one’s unwavering support for our military and veterans, which is something I saw firsthand when Scotty was injured in combat.

As is his character, Pete was a friend and ally who helped me advance my fight for our veterans even when it wasn’t flashy, cool, or drove television ratings; he did it because it was the right thing to do. He’ll do the same thing as our next Secretary of Defense.

Today, America’s military is at a fundamental crossroads. Where once there was strength, respect, and honor, we now face the rise of woke ideologies that weaken our military’s identity and capability. Gender and race ideologies have been prioritized in training and recruitment instead of honor, valor and warfighting. As a result, our military is now facing recruitment shortages and a loss of respect on the world stage.

Pete made it his mission to restore America’s military by returning to the foundational principles of valor, freedom, and selfless service. Over the last four years, Joe Biden has destroyed our military and left our country vulnerable. In 2024, the Pentagon requested a staggering $114 million from the federal budget for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program funding alone. This tremendous waste of money and failure of priorities is dividing our military and has weakened our national security. We need change agents in Washington who will cut through the red tape, woke initiatives and simply focus on making our military the strongest in the world.

Now more than ever, Washington is in desperate need of leaders like Pete to get our country back on track. The American people demonstrated their refusal to succumb to radical woke ideologies when they elected President Donald Trump and President Trump will indeed bring unconventionalism to the White House because conventionalism has brought America to her knees over the past four years.

Pete Hegseth is exactly what the United States military needs to put America’s defense back on top, and I look forward to seeing him fight for our military as Secretary of Defense.

Tiffany Smiley, former Republican U.S. Senate candidate from Washington, is a long-time veterans advocate and founder of Endeavor PAC, an organization that supports and elevates political outsiders who are tired of the status quo in Washington. She resides in Pasco, WA, with her husband and three sons.