Wilson Beaver
Senate confirmation hearings are set to officially begin this week for Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. No doubt, the media and some members of the Senate will try to use this opportunity to criticize Hegseth’s personal history and lack of Pentagon experience, but this is a mistake.
Indeed, if the chaos in Kabul, wokeness and inefficiency in Washington, and the general decline of America’s military over the last four years under the leadership of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin—a former four-star general and defense contractor board member—have taught us anything, it is that the Defense Department doesn’t need another Washington insider at the helm.
In response, conservatives should use the upcoming hearings to highlight Hegseth’s unique opportunity to deliver what the American people voted for and what the American military needs: a Pentagon that is accountable, efficient, and laser-focused on fighting and winning, especially against our number one adversary, the People’s Republic of China.
An Open Letter to the Next Defense Department Comptroller
To hammer home the point, below are five essential reforms that Hegseth can implement immediately upon being confirmed.
1) Restore Accountability
by firing longtime bureaucrats and senior military officers who have failed to focus on lethality and combat power. A good place to start would be program managers in charge of maintaining the Navy’s ships, as well as generals and admirals who wholeheartedly endorsed and promulgated DEI initiatives and leadership connected to the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan that resulted in the Abbey Gate bombing.
2) Make Contracting and Management Reforms
Hegseth can expand hiring and firing authorities, update federal regulations on commercial item procurement, and cut onerous bureaucratic red tape. The Government Accountability Office (and others) have identified contracting reforms that could save billions across the federal government if the departments are directed to implement them by their new secretaries. » Read More
https://www.heritage.org/defense/commentary/5-things-pete-hegseth-could-do-if-he-confirmed