At the hands of President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the nation has witnessed one foreign policy disaster after the next. The duo’s catastrophic decision-making and military execution has left Americans dead, our military vulnerable, and our adversaries emboldened. To right the ship and steer America back on course, the next defense secretary must be a new kind of leader, one that will restore a foreign policy strategy of deterrence and peace through strength.
Army National Guard veteran Pete Hegseth is President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for the job and the new kind of leader we need. It comes as no surprise, however, that as the Senate Armed Services Committee prepares for Hegseth’s confirmation hearing, Democrats are deploying their familiar playbook of objections. But their arguments ring hollow given the department’s track record under their watch.
Let us examine the facts: Under Austin’s tenure, the Pentagon failed four audits, with only 40% of approximately $3.8 trillion in assets being auditable. The Government Accountability Office flagged weapons acquisition programs for vulnerability to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement. The Pentagon was left without a leader for several days when Austin failed to alert anyone of his hospital visit. Furthermore, our military faces declining recruitment and retention, major program delays, and a credibility crisis following the plethora of the Biden administration’s failures.
The irony in Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-MA) recent letter to Hegseth is striking. She highlights the chronic mismanagement of the Pentagon’s acquisition budget, noting Hegseth will be responsible for addressing the significant deficiencies and noncompliance issues identified by a Defense Department inspector general audit. And while this is true, she ignores the fact that these failures, along with a lengthy list of others, are not only a direct result of Austin’s poor leadership but also underscore why we need a leader such as Hegseth running the Pentagon.
With his four-star pedigree and defense sector experience, Austin is the type of leader Democrats champion, and yet also one who will likely be remembered as one of the most ineffective and incompetent in modern history — focused more on diversity initiatives than bolstering national security. And while the vast majority of Democrats, Warren included, praise the DEI culture pushed under Austin, corporate America is shifting away from DEI initiatives, finding they often undermine organizational effectiveness and cohesion. Following this trend, Hegseth advocates a return to warfighter and mission fundamentals at the department, aligned with the president-elect’s vision.
All of this reinforces one thing — Hegseth is the type of leader the department desperately needs. Having recently hosted Hegseth for discussions with Air Force experts on the future of American air power, I witnessed firsthand a leader who brings fresh perspective and an urgent reform agenda. He demonstrated genuine engagement with complex issues, from unmanned versus manned systems to cost optimization, always focusing on the military’s core purpose — lethality.
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The stakes could not be higher. During Austin’s tenure, China unveiled two next-generation military aircrafts, while America’s advanced fighter program stalls in development. This role reversal, Chinese innovation accelerating as the Pentagon’s Next Generation Air Dominance program faces mounting delays, signals a pivotal shift in the air power rivalry between the world’s leading military powers. It is something Hegseth is resolved to address.
Our adversaries are advancing their destabilization efforts globally while our military grapples with systemic inefficiencies, a striking decline in readiness, and internal ideological battles. We also face a growing risk of foreign influence in the defense ranks, exemplified by recent incidents involving personnel with concerning allegiances. The Senate Armed Services Committee must act swiftly. Every day without decisive new leadership is another day our military effectiveness erodes. Our enemies are watching. The time for bold change is now.
Rep. August Pfluger is a member of Congress representing the 11th Congressional District of Texas. He is the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, the largest conservative caucus in Congress. He is an Air Force veteran and former F-22 pilot and serves on the Air Force Academy Board of Visitors.
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
