Vote yes for Pete Hegseth

Senate should confirm the DOD nominee

Pete Hegseth is President Trump’s nominee to serve as the next Secretary of Defense. His confirmation has faced challenges and I am disappointed that some Senators will vote against Hegseth. I think that’s a shame, and that it will be a dearly missed opportunity if they do not confirm a truly transformative leader for the Pentagon.

My voice does not count for much, and yet I feel compelled to weigh in publicly just in case some folks at the Capitol can be swayed. And I’ll tell you why I would confirm Pete Hegseth.

Two decades ago, the U.S. military was suffering a real crisis — losing a war in Iraq after a series of missteps. The generals were winning the battles, yet losing the war. One aspect of that was a loss of morale in the ranks, and the Army in particular started bleeding talent, a phrase that I turned into a book title. My book BLEEDING TALENT was published in 2012 by a Palgrave Macmillan — a smaller, academic press. I did not expect it to be a best-seller, and at first it didn’t reach a wide audience, though ultimately it was reviewed by the NY Times, went viral, and led to many Pentagon meetings and eventually massive legislative reforms in 2019. But let’s be clear, it was a pretty boring topic — personnel policy. And here’s the point:

One of the very first people to reach out to me about the book was some guy named Pete Hegseth. I had never met him, never heard of him. He wasn’t a big shot then that he is now, just a veteran with combat experience and an Ivy League education who wanted to talk. We had a good phone call and brainstormed. I really can’t recall interacting with him since, though I have watched his star rise as a TV anchor and now this incredible nomination.

I just want you to know that I can vouch that Pete Hegseth is a serious man. He is very intelligent, insightful, and patriotic. He loves our veterans, and he is a long-term thinker. I have every confidence he will be a wise, vigorous reformer. Confirm him.