Some military officers worry that Pete Hegseth could turn a blind eye to U.S. war crimes
Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for defense secretary, has defended U.S. troops accused or convicted of war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq, saying they are held to unrealistic standards.
President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, rose to prominence partly based on his searing criticism on Fox News of the rules governing U.S. troops in combat. Having served in Iraq and Afghanistan with the Army National Guard, he argued that American soldiers were hampered by excessive constraints battling jihadist extremists who “fight like savages.”
“In some cases, our units were so boxed in by rules and regulations and political correctness, we even second-guess ourselves,” Hegseth wrote in his book “The War on Warriors” last year. “That needs to end. Count me out on the Monday morning quarterbacking—I’m with the American warfighter, all the way”
At his Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday, Hegseth is likely to be asked about allegations of sexual assault, excessive drinking and mismanagement in his previous jobs.
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But some current and former military officers say Hegseth’s strident statements about war crimes prosecutions of U.S. troops — and his advocacy for service members who were convicted by fellow service members — risk undermining core principles that have shaped the American military for decades.
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