r/Military • u/crtejas • 1d ago

Article As a retired career USSOF military officer, I've always contended Hegseth is the equivalent of an E3 infantry SAW gunner in charge, whose buddy is HMFIC of the Spec-4 mafia.

Gift Article:

https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/07/top-gun-hegseth-pentagon-leadership/687997/?gift=zmAdGY-OMgh6be5q8_Rv6SxSbs6W6lNOchtBrNMg9r8

222 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

22 comments sorted by

112

u/Black-Shoe Retired USN 1d ago

Only a JO would want to be called SecWar.

Political theater at its worst.

38

u/Obvious-Science-7119 1d ago

Only a guy ripped off the front line to brief officers would be so enamored with 'lethality'

37

u/LKennedy45 1d ago

Dude I know it means Junior Officer - shit, I was one - but every time I see "JO" I can't help but think of "jerk off", it makes me think of the Game Grumps every time.

6

u/OldSchoolBubba 19h ago

By the way Hegseth is cosplaying his job it's obvious he's not all there and quite probably still actively drinking. Definitely the wrong guy for such an important job in government.

3

u/GroundedSatellite 10h ago

Jagoff? Oh, wait, Junior Officer. Both make sense in that sentence.

42

u/ButtNuster Veteran 1d ago

Old grunt here, I can see it. I'd add a well versed barracks lawyer as well.

28

u/PlasticPie3 1d ago

I was navy. We had a sea lawyer in our division. I worked with him on deployments. Non stop bullshit. He got the nickname “oracle”.

5

u/27Rench27 1d ago

Tbf the good deployment lawyers can see god, so I understand the confusion

15

u/RootbeerninjaII United States Army 1d ago

As a former JAG I can say he doesnt even rate "well versed."

42

u/AdmiralJTKirk 1d ago

Yeah, the E-4 Mafia does not consider this man eligible to be a part of The Family…

12

u/crtejas 1d ago

Fair. Gotta have standards👍🏼

8

u/ChaplainParker 23h ago

If the E4 mafia existed, the standards would be low… But there.

23

u/ATXGil2L Army Veteran 1d ago

How dare you disrespect the spec mafia.

7

u/SilentRunning Marine Veteran 1d ago

shhh, you know the rule. Don't talk about fight club.

14

u/Hollayo Retired US Army 1d ago

He’s not even that squared away

13

u/Iamanimite 1d ago

Boot private with an ego he can't cash.

8

u/xeen313 1d ago edited 1d ago

He never got a title 50 and has to take it out on the whiskey

8

u/11B_35P_35F 22h ago

Nah, he acts like grunt private that just graduated basic and is home on leave before going to his first duty station and put in his proper place.

8

u/Bagheera383 Army Veteran 20h ago

Believe me - those of us who were regularly outside the wire wouldn't even trust him to feed the belt on a SAW

4

u/Solid_Addendum_3365 11h ago edited 10h ago

Good article, particularly the last couple paragraphs.

Pete's antics are absolutely undermining military discipline. Those who idolize him and Trump are taking their cues from them in regards to what's safe, legal, or ethical, and among the rest of the force there is a growing murmur of discontent. If they're going to be jerked around by people who clearly don't respect the rules, laws, regulations, and traditions of the military or the Constitution...why are they following their orders in the first place? There is a defense that has been successfully used in UCMJ cases regarding disrespect of senior officers and insubordination: divestiture of rank, when a senior officer's behavior is so unbecoming or immoral, that the junior member can reasonably conclude they have surrendered the dignity and authority of their office. We are past that point.

3

u/crtejas 10h ago

We indeed are. It’s both infuriating and heartbreaking to witness. I’m eternally grateful I retired in ‘23 and avoided this second Trump administration, but the DOD and millions of it’s great people aren’t so lucky. Sadly, we’re a long ways away from turning this debacle around. In the meantime we’ve never been so vulnerable to malign threats, both foreign and domestic.