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Hey everybody. Welcome to Breaking Point. Unreal. America's Voice News, I'm David Zier. We had an exceptional week on the ground in Washington D.C. this week for the network with complete White House coverage, congressional coverage with our new correspondent Benny Harmony. And I was at the Pentagon for New Media Week, also with Benny Harmony from Monday through Wednesday for the new media. Media, you know, the legacy media left and wouldn't sign the agreement over there because there were a lot of leaks. People were roaming free throughout the Pentagon. I've got great interviews with undersecretaries in the Department of War and special advisors to Pete Hegseth. We also had a press briefing by Kingsley Wilson, the press secretary. We met with Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesman. And we had an off the record briefing with Pete Hegseth which was just phenomenal. And I can't talk about the details of what we discussed, but he's so engaging and so nice. You know, I've known him over the years intermittently and he's always been great. I had him on Breaking Point with his book American Crusade about six years ago. Very friendly, interacted with him on the campaign trail at many Trump rallies. He was very popular while I was doing man on the street interviews with our other great real America's Voice news team on the ground at rallies and when with Fox, you know, he was meeting with the people. They love him. The people love him. So the whole smear campaign is just to get rid of him so they can destroy Trump. And it's very upsetting. But our very own, you know, congressional correspondent Benny Harmony will be on the ground later this afternoon in California with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in Simi Valley, California for the Reagan Defense Forum. And Hegseth will also meet with aerospace industry leaders. So we'll be bringing you information on that as well here. But it was really great. And while the legacy media and like the Daily Beast was attacking us as the new media, oh, we're just Trump sycophants. We're independent journalists. We're not qualified to be there. And granted a lot of these guys, some WaPo and these other outlets, you know, spent years as beat reporters in the Pentagon. But there was unfettered access. They were near sensitive, classified and unclassified areas in the Pentagon, running around, I believe, you know, grabbing people in the hallway, getting comments from them and then its news. And there was, it wasn't the control that was needed there to protect our personnel and the security of our troops and our missions. And I think that Sean Parnell put it best, the chief Pentagon spokesman, you know, that you can't just run wild. To paraphrase him, you know, you need controls like any federal building in Washington, D.C. you can't just walk around the White House. You can't go anywhere in the White House without an escort. So now there's gonna be escorts in the Pentagon and maybe it'll help with leaks and maybe if there was any spying or anything else that was going on. These guys deserve to have control for the safety of our operations. And there's a lot of malevolent forces out there that don't like the United States, especially in the msm, I'm convinced of that. That's for sure. But we were great people. There were great people in the room there. When we had the press secretary open briefing that we aired live, I got a question in to Kingsley Wilson. I'm gon to play that later. But most of the people that participated in the room, that they were awesome. You know, we had Matt Gaetz in there. We had great people. John Conrad from G Captain, it's a publication and a website that follows maritime and naval operations around the world. I mean, the guy was so smart. It was so great to have him in the room. And, you know, Todd Wood of CDM doing investigative reporting in the Ukraine, trying to get our troops reinstated after the vax. So tough questions of Kingsley Wilson. We also had frank conversations with Pete Hegseth, and again, we're not allowed to share the details of that, but, you know, throughout the days that we were there, we asked questions about Afghanistan's senior office or officer accountability for the early withdrawal from Afghanistan and why did we withdraw early. And I'm convinced that the Biden administration was compromised. You know, we were pursuing rare earth deals in Afghanistan. Afghanistan as well. So did we leave the door open for China to come in and get that access because Biden was compromised, you know, because Hunter Biden was compromised. And they were making millions, tens of millions of dollars, if not more, you know, by shaking down people and businessmen in China and the bunch. So these issues are really important. And I asked about protection for our troops, deployed National Guard units, and what additional states under Title 10. The President can go into states under Title 10, but Title 30 is under the governor's control. Like in Memphis, the governor asked us to come into Memphis. There are other states that want to do that. And are our troops protected on the ground? Unless the guys have sidearms. But now in D.C. they're on patrol with D.C. police, like the Department of War, released information to us about that. And also, you know.
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Extra security measures and extra deployments of troops and how 500 more troops will be on the ground in D.C. alone, which already had 2,200 National Guard troops. And are our troops going to get compensated with back pay or reinstated? Who refused the vax? Like 8,500 cases pending. And I met with Anthony Tata from the Pentagon from the Department of War. I have an interview with him with tough questions like that. We asked tough questions about the boat strikes and how does international law apply? You know, Thom Tillis from North Carolina, Republican senator, you know, was critical of the second strike, but does he care about the 3,000 North Carolinians that died last year from drug overdoses? And all the tens of thousands of lives that Trump's probably gonna save on the ground due to violent crimes not happening by illegals and drug overdoses across America, Is he gonna get credit for that? And as Maduro, who has an illegitimate government and cartels in 40 countries and, you know, trying to change the game, Maduro's there illegally. And I'm gonna read some excerpts from a New York Post article. A column that the opposition leader in Venez just got the Nobel Peace Prize sums it up. You got to go to the New York Post.com nypost.com and look up Machado's speech column. It's incredible, and it really lays out the whole story of what's going on in Venezuela and why we are there. We also asked questions to the Pentagon staff there and the undersecretaries and special advisors and the JAG officers. You know, how do we get back to the 600 or so ship, Navy, what's up with the littoral combat ship, these fast ships that were never completed? What about Constellation program for the frigates where only two were built of, say, seven or so? I forgot the number. But what are we going to use to replace it? And how fast are we going to replace it? Do we have the military readiness that we need? So these new rules that they asked us to sign wasn't that big of a deal. It wasn't anything that bad. The media was running around the Pentagon, you know, all over the place. And I think they wanted to get control over it. And now they got to have escorts. So it was really an amazing week down on the ground in the Pentagon. Everybody has to go to the New York Post and download the column that Maria Carina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader who got the Nobel Peace Prize, she wrote a column in there, she explains exactly why we're in Venezuela. You know, and the cartels are in 40 countries. Maduro is an illegitimate leader down there, and I don't want boots on the ground, but we gotta do something about what's going on down there. And she writes this great column and saying a criminal cartel has taken over my country and its reach now extends into the United States. And by the way, she's in hiding right now. Anyone who believes this is just another authoritarian regime is dangerously mistaken. This is organized crime and power armed and bankrolled by America's enemies across the hemisphere. Narco terrorists and the dictators who shield them are clawing for more control. They weaken democracies, poison our societies, and target the United States directly. Nowhere is this more clear. Clear than in Venezuela. My country was once the most prosperous in Latin America, rich in oil, gas, rare earth minerals, agriculture, and unmatched biodiversity. And that it's a hijacked nation. She goes on, we're proud of a stable democracy that welcomed millions fleeing war and misery. All of that was shattered when the cartel Doulos Solis hijacked the state nearly 27 years ago. Its bosses are Nicolas Maduro and the Inner Circle. They stand accused of crimes against humanity and other grave atrocities. They govern the country the way the mobsters control territory, through fear, torture, and the systematic destruction of the nation's democratic pillars. They sold our sovereignty to foreign partners, Castro's Cuba, Colombian guerrillas, Iran and Russia, and took billions in financing from China. They silenced the press, expropriating property, persecuting opponents, and built an electoral fraud machine designed to keep them in power forever. They weaponized migration, and for one in three Venezuelans to flee their homeland. And from the beginning, they viewed the United States not just as a distant power, but as a primary target. And since they cannot confront America militarily, they attack it asymmetrically. Smuggling narcotics into U.S. neighborhoods, spreading disinformation to divide Americans, paying lobbyists to warp US Policy, backing hostile regimes, and unleashing criminal groups like Trent Agua across the nation. I'm going to have more of this column. It's the best one I've ever read. And thank, thank you for joining us today. I have more interviews from the Pentagon this week from New Media Week, and you're watching Real America's voice. And now a message from Birch Gold. As countries have walked away in the past few years from the US Dollar, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, diversify into gold, into birch gold. And for over 5,000 years, gold has withstood inflation, geopolitical turmoil and stock market crashes. And the great news is you can still get it. In fact, you can own Gold and Silver and a tax sheltered retirement account. Birch Gold makes it easy to convert your IRA or 401k into an IRA and precious metals and all you got to do is text the word America, the 989898 to claim your free info kit on gold. 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Welcome back, I'm David Zier. You're watching Breaking Point on Real America's Voice News and I had a great week on the ground as new media for the Pentagon with Sec War Pete Hegseth. He couldn't have been nicer Couldn't have been more genuine with us. It was really special. We met with several Pentagon officials. I got great interviews for you. But I want to read a little bit more of Maria Karina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leaders column in the New York Post and this year's Nobel Peace Prize recipient for her tireless fight against what's going on in Venezuela. And she really sums up why we're interacting with Venezuela right now, because it's really critical. Venezuela has ceded territory, she goes on, to terrorist organizations, Iranian operatives, giving US adversaries a safe haven just hours from American shores. This network is already destabilizing cities and democracies throughout Latin America and its reach is expanding north. President Donald Trump understands this threat. She goes on for what it is and that we need to take decisive action. He has acted decisively. Trump, by cutting off the cartel's financial lifeline, strengthening the US presence in the Caribbean and applying intense pressure on Maduro and is in a circle to move Venezuela towards the transition its people mandated. You know, cuz those elections were not legitimate, but I got super interviews with you just so you can get understand the. Get to understand the culture in the Pentagon. These people love our country. They're doing this in Trump time, like Peter Navarro always said. And every single official I met with said there's a sea change in the culture at the Pentagon and they really care about what's going on and they want to get it done quicker and better than the last administration. And I have Anthony Tater here, the Undersecretary for War and Readiness. And I also sat down with Jay Hearst, the comptroller for the Pentagon. Massive undertaking. Check it out. On the ground at the Pentagon, we have the comptroller for the Department of War, Jay Hurst. It's an honor to be with you today.
- [18:20]
E
Hey, Dave, thanks for having me. I appreciate it.
- [18:22]
A
Excellent, excellent. Great day. New media week here, here on the ground. Right. So you have a lot of responsibility. Right. Tell us about dfax. What's dfax?
- [18:34]
E
DFAS is the Defense Finance and Accounting Service. And their job is to pay every single member of the US Military. And all the civilians who work for the military, they do some other stuff too, but that's the biggest job and most important job.
- [18:45]
A
Couple million.
- [18:47]
E
Well, our payroll is $15 billion a month.
- [18:50]
A
Wow.
- [18:50]
E
So it's an incredible amount of money these people handle and they pay people. Right?
- [18:53]
A
Right.
- [18:54]
E
Month after month.
- [18:55]
A
Incredible. I can't even balance my checkbook. Right. It's an incredible responsibility here. But part of what you're tasked with is to implement the President's budget as well. Proposed budget, right?
- [19:08]
E
That's right. Yeah. My number one responsibility, and it's not easy to do, is I've got to make sure that the President's defense budget reflects his priorities and the Secretary's priorities. And so it's a bottom up job. We have 40 components in DOD. They all feed in what they want. And it's our job to work with the Deputy Secretary to make sure that that's reflective of what the President desires.
- [19:29]
A
Right. And so you report to the Secretary of War and you have a large task. And the shutdown, Right. The shutdown started. Right. Right after the fiscal year ended. Right. Tell us about how it affected you and does it affect operations?
- [19:48]
E
It depends. It affects everybody differently in the department. I say the biggest problem when we have shutdown is we have to spend time dealing with that. We have to furlough workers. We have to make arrangements to give guidance out to people about what they can do and what they can't do. We have to bring them back. And so it just eats into our man hours. Right. Which we'd rather be doing things to defend the American people.
- [20:07]
A
Right. And the continuing resolutions that Congress passes. Right. That affects you as well. They passed the CR to reopen the government, but that ends in January until the NDAA passes. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
- [20:22]
E
Yes. There's two separate bills. The first one is the NDAA National Defense Authorization act. And that gives us the authority to do things. And then the appropriations bill. The Defense Appropriations bill will give us the treasury the ability to obligate from the treasury to actually buy things. Right. So we need both. We'll get the NDA hopefully this month and then, then hopefully we'll get a Defense Appropriations bill later.
- [20:44]
A
Is there a sea change in the culture at the Pentagon at all with the new administration? Is there any difference from the prior one? Priorities, streamlining, things like that?
- [20:55]
E
Absolutely. This is my fifth year in the building. I was in uniform here before. And the difference is we're here to get it done. And you can see that people are not here to talk about obstacles, they're here to talk about solutions. And that's the sea change that's going on that the Secretary's driving.
- [21:12]
A
Yeah. And Secretary Hegseth very engaged, right? He is very engaged here. All right. Anything else you want to share with us today about what's going on in the Pentagon? And you know, we got the holidays approaching. What else is cooking?
- [21:27]
E
Yeah, I think for my Team. Right. We're focused on getting 26 across the line with Congress and helping them answer any questions they have about the President's defense budget. We're also working on fiscal year 27 already because we owe that over to the White House so the President can roll out his budget early next year.
- [21:44]
A
Well, I really appreciate you taking the time to meet with us today. Everybody's been so great here at the Pentagon. So everybody. The comptroller for the Department of War, Jay Hurst. Thank you again.
- [21:54]
E
Hey, my pleasure. Thanks for having me.
- [21:56]
A
Happy holidays. Merry Christmas.
- [21:57]
E
Merry Christmas.
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A
All right. We have with us today the Undersecretary for Personnel and Readiness, Anthony Tata. How are you, sir?
- [22:05]
B
Doing great, thank you.
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A
Great to be here. New Media Week.
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B
Yeah, great to be here. We're glad to have you here. And I'll tell you, from a personnel and readiness standpoint, I've got 950 hospitals with 9.5 million beneficiaries. I have over a thousand child development centers, K12 schools and youth centers with over 300,000 children. Military, millions of people. Millions of people. And then we've got 230 commissaries. Everything. Quality of life, personal readiness is responsible for. And then, of course, the readiness of all the people and the platforms, the equipment, the ammunition. We monitor that. We advise the Secretary on our readiness levels.
- [22:44]
A
And so recruiting military readiness is a big thing, right?
- [22:48]
B
It's a huge thing. Of course, you know, the President's mission is peace through strength. And. And what we're focused on is reorienting the personnel policies to support presidential policies and programs.
- [23:02]
A
Do you see a difference between the previous administration in this and your role here, streamlining efficiencies, stuff like that?
- [23:11]
B
Well, I wasn't in the previous administration. I was in Trump 45, but I wasn't in this past administration. And what I'm focused on is implementing the president priorities and orienting personnel policy to support shipbuilding, Golden Dome, southwest border mission, the cyber workforce that we need to support, the satellite force that we need.
- [23:35]
Support all the Golden Dome aspects that the President's focused on. And the secretaries focus on the warrior ethos, all the culture issues that are right here in personnel readiness, the reestablish deterrence, rebuild the military. That's all personnel readiness.
- [23:50]
A
I don't think people understand how important the Golden Dome is. It's a big issue, especially with the Chinese. I wanted to talk about recruitment. I was involved a little bit with the 250th army anniversary and real America's Voice, very involved in all the celebrations Going forward, I know recruitment was down in the last several years, it's up again. Can you tell us a little about that?
- [24:12]
B
Well, I mean since November of last year, recruitment has been, we've been beating it in every category. And, and what's resonating we do post basic training, post session surveys. And what's resonating is that we're focused on those things that unite us, like lethality, purpose of mission, unity of command, unity of mission. Instead of those things that divide us. What's your identity? What's, you know, those subgroups that previous folks were focused on. We're focused on coming together as a nation. Coming together together as a team, winning as a team, winning as a nation.
- [24:48]
A
So there's, there's a sea change here, right?
- [24:50]
B
Absolutely. The, the, the recruiters, I do routine recruitment updates from all the services and military departments and in every category last time they, they exceeded mission. This time they've some, some of the services already met mission.
- [25:06]
A
Yeah.
- [25:06]
B
And it's December and, and there's nine months to go in the, in the, in the year, the fiscal year year.
- [25:12]
A
Wow. Yeah, we're very excited, especially with 2050th anniversary of America coming up next year. I wanted to talk about, about COVID reintegration. Can you explain?
- [25:22]
B
Yeah, sure. So there, there were about 8,700 individuals that were involuntarily separated from the service by the, you know, unlawful as implemented Covid mandate. And the President signed an executive order, the Secretary signed a directive to reintegrate.
- [25:42]
A
That was in January, Executive order January.
- [25:44]
B
And February, the EO and then the Secretary's directive. And so what we're, we're focused on, what we're doing is we really have three work streams. One is reintegration of everyone who wants to come back in, whether they're involuntary or voluntarily separated. In the last three months, four months that I've been here year, we've had a six fold, almost six fold increase in the number of folks processed through. So we're cleaning that processing up, having Senate confirmed individuals in place, really helpful to get that guidance out there. And we've contacted every involuntarily separated individual, 8,700 twice. And also voluntary people who just said no, I don't want to do it, and they left on their own. And then we have a second worker. Some people don't want to come back in, but they might have received other benefits.
- [26:38]
And, and if you don't, if you don't have an honorable discharge, you can't get your GI Bill. So we're considering a proactive review of discharge characterization and even enlistment bonus recoupment. So they, they kicked you out and took your money in the previous administration.
- [26:56]
A
Right.
- [26:57]
B
And so we're looking at, at upgrading discharges and we're looking at paying back bonuses that were recouped. And then third, we have two independent teams that are doing after action reviews, task force like efforts to take a look at what happened, why it happened, and make sure it doesn't happen again.
- [27:16]
A
Wow. It's amazing. I followed Trump on the campaign trail for many years and he always promised that he would reinstate these guys. Right. Last year we were at Fort Bragg and sounds like he's keeping his promises.
- [27:30]
D
All right.
- [27:30]
A
And I want to thank you so much, everybody. Anthony Tata here and it's a great, it's an honor to be here. New Media Week. Yeah, everybody's great.
- [27:39]
B
Welcome. It's great to have you on board and I look forward to talking to you in the future.
- [27:42]
A
Very grateful. Thank you, sir.
- [27:43]
B
Thank you.
- [27:44]
A
Nice to meet you.
- [27:45]
B
Nice to meet you.
- [27:45]
A
All right, don't go anywhere. We'll be right back with more Breaking Point on real America's Voice news.
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A
What do you think makes the perfect snack? Hmm, it's gotta be when I'm really craving it and it's convenient. Could you be more specific? When it's cravenient.
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E
Okay.
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A
Like a freshly baked cookie made with real butter, available right down the street at am, pm or a savory breakfast sandwich I can grab in just a second at amp. I'm seeing a pattern here. Well, yeah, we're talking about what I crave, which is anything from am, pm, what more could you want? Stop by AMPM where the snacks and drinks are perfectly craveable and convenient. That's cravenience am, pm too much.
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C
Good stuff.
- [29:14]
A
Welcome back to Breaking Point on real America's Voice news. I'm so proud to be part of the RAV team. You know, we really got it together. We're on the ground. We are everywhere and especially in Washington. Covering the White House, Capitol Hill, now the Pentagon. It's really, really an exceptional opportunity ahead for us to participate in this. And I'm looking forward to an exciting year. But listen, the Republicans, I have a 220, I think, to 213 majority in the House. But the Cook Political Report and other. The average of the last six major polls on Real Clear Politics has the dems up by 4. And the election in Tennessee, you know, it was a victory for the gop, but they cut the lead almost in half from what Trump won by 22 points in that district. And so they gained 13 points on the Republicans over there. And that candidate, you know, she did destroy herself by bashing the great people of Tennessee and Nashville. So she committed political suicide. But it's something we really gotta watch. They gotta get their act together. But I got more great interviews from the Pentagon at New Media Week here. One with Dane Hughes, the Assistant Secretary of War for Legislative affairs, about the NDAA coming up. The continuing resolution runs out in January. And then I got Stu Scheller, member of the Afghanistan Accountability Task Force and senior adviser to Under Secretary Tata. These guys are great. We want accountability for what happened in Afghanistan. Watch this. We're here with Dan Hughes, the Assistant Secretary of War for Legislative affairs here at the Department of War. How are you today, sir?
- [30:48]
F
I'm doing well, thanks. Thanks for having me.
- [30:50]
A
So you got a big responsibility here. You have to deal with Congress, right?
- [30:54]
F
That's right.
- [30:55]
A
Tell us about your role in the Pentagon.
- [30:57]
D
Sure.
- [30:57]
F
I'm the oversee the legislative affairs enterprise for the department. So we represent the Department to Congress. That includes all of the, all the undersecretaries that it comprised, the Office of Secretary of War, the military departments to combat commands, and provide our best, best legislative advice to the Secretary and the other senior leaders of the department.
- [31:16]
A
So our congressional correspondent, Benny Harmony is keeping us in the loop on hot issues before Congress. One of them is the ndaa. Tell us about that. Because the continuing resolution expires in January. Right?
- [31:27]
F
Right. January 30th. Our office oversees that interactive process with the Congress on an annual basis. We, we represent the Department to Congress and put forward the Department's legislative proposals and priorities for consideration in that bill on an annual basis. We've been in active negotiations over the last several months with our committees in the White House.
- [31:51]
A
Did the shutdown affect operations or anything for the Pentagon or anything in your role?
- [31:57]
F
Yes, it did. You know, throughout the department, you know, a lot of people were furloughed during that time. My office, we didn't furlough anybody during that time. We pushed through because we were in the middle of NDAA negotiations. And so it was, it was critical for us to have full staffing during that time. But of course, enablers and other, other people that we work with on a regular basis, not everybody was available. So that definitely slowed things down for.
- [32:21]
A
Us a little bit. Well, it's great to be our new media week. So many great people here on the ground. You guys have been very open with us and we're excited, excited to be here. Tell us a little bit about your relationship with Congress when it comes to Operation Southern Spear.
- [32:38]
F
So, you know, with Operation Southern Spear, we have been engaging with Congress on that since, you know, since the operation began in September, we have done 19 engagements with both the House and Senate on the operation, providing with operational details of the strikes that have, have taken place.
- [32:57]
A
Are you required to do that every.
- [32:59]
F
Time there's an operation or there's not a legal requirement to conduct in person briefings? We have a legal requirement to provide the committees with a classified report on those strikes and that's something that we do after every single one.
- [33:17]
A
And what's the mission of that? To make sure there isn't misinformation put out there and to get on the record exactly what you're doing.
- [33:25]
F
It's transparency. It's just to provide the committees with a detailed accounting of what we've done. And so it's, it's ensure there's a transparency between the different branches of government.
- [33:34]
A
Right, right. Tell us about some of the other issues going on with Congress, oversight or anything like that.
- [33:41]
F
Well, you know, obviously with NDA wrapping up this week, that is, that's been kind of first and foremost the major thing that we have been, been concentrating on. And I think we're in a really good place. It's been a very collaborative process over the last several months with both the House and Senate and the White and the White House. And I think we're in a really good, good place. We'll see a lot of great reforms coming.
- [34:02]
A
Did you serve in the Pentagon under previous administration?
- [34:04]
F
I did. I am a, I'm a Trump 45 alumni as well. So I worked in legislative affairs in the, in the Secretary's office.
- [34:11]
A
Can you talk about the difference maybe in the tenor a flavor what's going on here, the motivations and do you see a difference between this administration, Trump's second term and say the Biden administration?
- [34:27]
F
So you know, from Trump one to Trump too. You know, Trump one was, was great. Yeah, you know, we, we did a lot of great things here at the Pentagon during the first term. You know, great teams. Yeah, weren't we're put together at that time and Trump too, we just, we've just elevated and I think the team that the White House has put together here, the secretary, all the undersecretaries, maybe the most collaborative.
- [34:52]
And it really has been fantastic to see really the kind of the cohesive leadership and really that's.
- [34:59]
A
Been the common thread today. Everyone we're talking to.
- [35:02]
F
Well, we did not coordinate. We did not coordinate that.
- [35:04]
A
No. You know that there's enthusiasm and you know, and officials have expressed that to me across the board, you know, that they're, you know, they're working hard and, and working together. They want to get it done.
- [35:15]
F
That's right. Everyone wants to get it done. Everybody's working together. You know, everybody's running in the same direction hard. So it really has been great.
- [35:23]
A
Well, I want to thank you, Dane Hughes. You're. You're the assistant secretary of war for legislative affairs, congressional liaison. Right, Right. I want to thank you for joining us today and thanks for this opportunity for real America's voice.
- [35:36]
F
Well, thank you for your time.
- [35:36]
A
All right, super. Appreciate it, Dan at the Pentagon here on the ground. And we're joined today from former lieutenant colonel in the u. S. Marines, Stu Scheller. How are you, sir?
- [35:48]
D
I'm good, Dave. Thanks for having me on.
- [35:49]
A
It's great to be with you. Incredible story. You're here at the Pentagon and you're. You're senior advisor to Anthony tata for personnel, Right. And readiness, correct? That's correct, correct. And so much going on. Right.
- [36:06]
The early withdrawal from Afghanistan. You're also the head of the Afghanistan deputy task force. Task force. The deputy.
- [36:13]
G
Correct.
- [36:13]
A
Yeah. Tell us about your role there.
- [36:16]
D
Yeah. So the secretary of the war charged us with going through and looking at the facts surrounding general officers military leaders decisions. So far there's been lots of investigations, investigation, but no one has really fully looked at all the facts of the decisions that were made. Once president biden said with withdrawal, you know, he made that decision based on the assumption that he had military leaders capable and competent enough to pull off a military operation.
- [36:40]
A
When did that task force start?
- [36:42]
D
So we came together, you know, the first couple of us were there in September. The team really came together in October. We plan to have a draft of the report done in February, final report declassified, available to the public before summer.
- [36:54]
A
And is the goal to hold, say senior officers and others responsible for decisions made that led to or how it was handled? Abby, Gate and the early withdrawal.
- [37:08]
D
Our goal is just to present all the facts of the military leaders. But what I will say is there was, you know, all the investigations up to this point have said that the Abbey Gate attack was not prevented. And I think the facts tell a different story. There's about five or six decisions in there. If any one of them had been different. You know, it's always easy to Monday morning quarterback, but what we're going to do is present the SEC war and POTUS President of the United States has said this is the worst day in American history. We're going to declassify and just show them all the facts and then they can make those decisions.
- [37:39]
A
So I wanted to talk about the environment here at the Pentagon. You know, Peter Navarro, we said get it done in Trump time. And the common theme today that I've taken away from this is that you guys are getting stuff done. And how does it compare maybe to a previous administration or the Pentagon culture? Do you see any bit of a sea change at all in the attitude and getting things accomplished?
- [38:06]
D
Yeah. So here in the Pentagon, 90% of the employees are career terrorists, 10% are political appointees. So I'm one of the political appointees. And so, you know, the game in the Pentagon is there's a lot of people and you can always slow roll something. So, you know, get it done at Trump speed. In the Pentagon, it's not always a straight line. You got to go A to C to F to D. Right. But that being said, I do think we've weeded out with, you know, Elon Musk and DRP and everyone that didn't want to be here had opportunities to leave, which really allowed the core group that's here to make a lot of changes. And you're absolutely right. PNR leading the way with the warrior ethos, trying to refocus the military. People talk about the military being apolitical. Really what they mean is we want to focus them all on the goal of closing with and destroying the enemy. That's why we're the Department of War. And so that's what we're trying to do. And to your point, I think a lot of things are happening and we're all rowing as hard as we can because we don't want to disappoint Sec. Warren and potus.
- [39:02]
A
Right. And military guys want to stay focused on the mission. That's right. Be distracted with other stuff. Right. The new media here this week, it's. We're invited here. Real America's Voice. I was really Impressed in the briefing, the off the record briefing with Secretary Hegseth and yesterday with the press Secretary Kinsley. You know, it was really pretty amazing, right? It's a new group here, but yeah, a knowledgeable bunch. How was your interactions today with the new media?
- [39:35]
D
That's been great. You know, I don't think, you know, you don't want a media that's completely, completely friendly. And that hasn't been the case that I've experienced today. There's a lot of people asking tough questions and we need the media to root out a lot of the things. I mean, we can't see everything that the media serves a very important role. I think the President sets the tone. He's more available to the press, even hostile press, more than anyone. And it's really, you know, what we don't want to do based on all the misinformation or fake news is just close the wall down with the press. Because since the founding of our government, the press has served a vital role and I'm just happy to see new blood. I think a lot of the people that were in here were entrenched and just entitled a little bit. So having a new group that's fresh is just good for the organization.
- [40:18]
A
Yeah, and some of the legacy media has been saying the new, the new group, you know, they're just lackeys and all this stuff. But I. That's not my experience at all here. Tough questions were asked and people want answers. That's right. Covid, reinstatement, Afghanistan, accountability issues, all kinds of stuff. So it's been an impressive experience. I want to thank you for joining us. Stu Scheller, it's an honor.
- [40:45]
D
Thanks, Ted.
- [40:46]
A
We'll be right back with more Breaking Point on Real America's Voice News.
- [41:03]
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A
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- [42:13]
Thanks for joining us. A super weekend on the ground at the Pentagon and as part of the new media and I'm going to get to some great interviews here with Kingsley Wilson. I got to ask her a question in the open press briefing. She's the Press Secretary for the Department of War and also Tim Polite to our JAG lawyer and senior advisor to Pete Hegseth talks about the legalities of the strikes. But I want to get back to Maria Machado. Go to the New York Post. Look up Maria Machado. Check out our column. It's the single best piece of writing I've read in a long time and explains what's going on in Venezuela. And I'm going to continue reading from what she wrote here because she talks about how this decisive action has cut off the cartel's financial lifelines, strengthening the US presence in the Caribbean and applying intense pressure on Maduro and his inner circle to move Venezuela towards the transition to its people that they mandated. And nearly 9 million Venezuelans have fled the country so far in an exile exit is larger than Syria's or Ukraine's. This catastrophe is the direct result of a war Nicolas Maduro declared against his own people. The goal is now clear to end that war and allow Venezuelans to return home once and for all. Others warn that Venezuela could become another Iraq or Libya if the cartel falls. That comparison collapses when you consider the most important fact the Venezuelan people themselves, because other people are warning that Venezuela could become, you know, this other Iraq or Libya. We are united society without tribal or sectarian fractures in Venezuela where a peaceful modern nation with a long democratic culture and deep historic ties to the United States. Our our identity was built on institutions, civic life and an open outward looking spirit. The exact opposite of the criminal structure that was hijacked in our state by Nicolas Maduro. In July 24, despite every obstacle the cartel imposed, Venezuelans defeated Maduro at the poll by 67 to 30%. That victory was documented through technology, civic organizations and overwhelming evidence. The majority of our military and police forces support that democratic mandate. The Venezuelan people have already ordered a transition of power. A legitimate government is awaiting. The truth is simple. Venezuela already has a legitimate government chosen by the people. The only thing standing between Venezuelans and freedom is a narco terrorist syndicate clinging to stolen Power. This is why Trump's administration's measures do not push Venezuela towards chaos. They move the future of Venezuela onto who they voted for, towards a safer and more stable hemisphere. Our interests move in the same direction. A win, win for both nations. And this goes on. She says now we must finish what we began together. Venezuelans have already done the impossible, but Maduro is not the legitimate leader of Venezuela. I don't want boots on the ground. I don't want to see US Servicemen die. But we got to continue cutting off the head of the snake financially. The drug trade, narco terrorism in 40 countries. And it's critical for us to stay engaged. We got this massive carrier strike group down there. Hopefully we can accomplish some of that, some, some of that stuff down there. But I've got great interviews from the Pentagon on the ground again, watching this. Yes, hi. David Zier, Real America's voice. It's great to be here. I want to know if you could confirm any additional National Guard deployments under Title 10 in additional cities, and have any governors reached out for help under title 32 as well? And how do you determine how National Guard troops, how many are armed? Great question. So I don't have anything to announce at this time in terms of new deployments, but I can tell you that our mission statement set is critical.
- [46:08]
F
We are keeping American cities safe all.
- [46:11]
A
Across this country, and we are going to remain committed to that. These missions aren't going to stop in Chicago, in Los Angeles, in D.C. we understand the urgent threat that is facing many of these cities, and the National Guard is proud to step in alongside our law enforcement partners to help with that. And I can confirm that everybody in D.C. is now armed, and a lot of our D.C. national Guardsmen are now also doing joint patrols with members of the police department here in D.C. so their safety is, of course, top of mind. And we will continue to make sure that they're able to do their jobs in keeping all of our great Americans safe across our cities. An incredible day here at the Pentagon, and we have commander and JAG lawyer Tim Polite. Tor. How are you, sir?
- [46:54]
G
Very good, very good.
- [46:55]
A
I've been following you for a lot of years. It's great to see you today. Everybody's been so great here. Opening up for New Media Week. Right. So we're on the ground here, and, and I wanted to discuss with you some of the legal things going on. You're a Special Advisor to Secretary of War Hegseth. Right. And tell us what's going on. Boat strikes Venezuela, Southern Spear. What's what's happening.
- [47:23]
G
A lot of, you know, just, just the normal. Right. You know, it's. We've had over the past week, you know, all of this, you know, Kerfoot, if you will, over whether this second strike was lawful, whether it was ordered by the Secretary. And the reality is, much of what you saw in that reporting, they relied upon anonymous sourcing without really matching it to what the reality is. And the reality is any operation like that, it doesn't go off of an oral order like that. They have very detailed, written, vetted, signed rules of engagement. Engagement. And that's what controls not any oral order. There wasn't any oral order. And ultimately a lot of the reports are coming out now saying they're worried that the Pentagon and the President is, you know, throwing Mitch Bradley under the bus. Yeah, totally untrue. Admiral Bradley is a combatant commander. He is somebody that we trust to make the right decisions. And the fact that the Secretary and the President have done said there was no unlawful order, that doesn't throw Bradley under the bus. That frees him up because under the original narrative that was being put out, Bradley's guilty because he followed an unlawful order by pulling the fake unlawful order off the table. It instead frees up Bradley to say, no, I was the commander. I made a decision based on the conditions as I had them at the time.
- [48:56]
A
Right.
- [48:56]
G
And so by allowing him to actually go out there and do that, you're allowing him really to defend himself. And so all of these claims of war crimes and everything else, that's the.
- [49:08]
A
Kind of, that's what we want in the military, right? People to be able to do their job.
- [49:13]
G
Correct. And that's another piece of this, is that when they talk about how, oh, Secretary Hagenow, Seth, order the following strike, that does not actually match the reality of this administration. Okay. Back in the Obama administration, yes, a.
- [49:26]
A
Lot of the micromanagement, a lot of.
- [49:28]
G
The decision making was held at the top. But whether it's the first Trump administration or the second Trump administration, one of the key features in this building is that it put the push the command responsibility back down to the commanders to allow them to command.
- [49:43]
A
Yes.
- [49:44]
G
And that's what happened here.
- [49:45]
A
So I wanted to talk about quickly, on the battlefield in Afghanistan, you know, how do you treat the combatants non uniform, not under a flag or a nation state. How do you treat them with Geneva and others? And now we don't sign on to the convention of the seas. Right. And so like when people say they violated international law by doing this, what Are they referencing to at uncle it? Right, right.
- [50:10]
G
So what they're talking about there is it is unlawful to target shipwrecked individuals. And this is a little bit different from on land. There are different laws in related to the sea. Shipwrecked individuals may not be targeted for killing. But what that's talking about, that's not talking about this situation. That's talking about, remember in World War II where the Germans and the Japanese would come in after, you know, hitting an American ship, and you have American sailors in the world water swimming. Yeah. And they would come in and they would strafe them with machine guns to kill them in the water.
- [50:42]
A
Yeah.
- [50:42]
G
That's the war crime here. If you have two injured terrorists who are still on the boat, the boat is damaged, but the boat is floating. And the. And I'm speaking hypothetically here, but the boat is damaged, floating, and still has cocaine on board. Admiral Bradley's orders were to put the cocaine and the boat to the bottom of the ocean.
- [51:06]
A
Right, right.
- [51:07]
G
If there happen to be two wounded terrorists on board, they are collateral damage. If there are two wounded terrorists clinging to a piece of wood off to the side, you can't shoot them. You can shoot the boat. If they're on the boat, they're collateral damage.
- [51:25]
A
Wow. And, you know, I wonder if I heard a Republican congressman tell today criticizing it. And, and I'm like, What about the 3,000 people who overdosed in North Carolina last year? Right. You know, in, in his state.
- [51:39]
G
So, and, and that's one of the problems is that you have politicians that are making broad, sweeping statements and they're pronouncing guilt without knowing all of the facts and quite frankly, without knowing all of the law. You know, we've had a lot of people that have gone onto X to give their uninformed legal opinion over, oh, well, if he, if there were two wounded people, then it's clearly a war crime. Well, no, it's not. Not if they are on a lawful target. We did this in World War II, Battle of Midway. We destroyed one of the Japanese carriers. It was dead in the water. It was unable to fight, unable to launch or recover aircraft, and full of wounded Japanese sailors. You know what we did? We had the USS Nautilus continue to pump torpedoes into it until it went to the bottom of the ocean, killing most of the injured Japanese sailors on board. Not a war crime. Because the military objective was to take the aircraft carrier out of the fight so it couldn't be towed back, repaired, and returned to the fight.
- [52:46]
A
Interesting. Yeah.
- [52:47]
G
But if instead they were machine gunning Japanese sailors in the water, that's the war crime.
- [52:52]
A
Well, I got that. That's very interesting. Thank you for informing our audience out there because, you know, real America's Voice news, we want to bring the truth to the people. I just want to have one last question for you about, you know, what's, what's the, the atmosphere like in the Pentagon under this administration, say, compared to previous administrations? I, it seems like there's a lot of enthusiasm and to get things done in real time.
- [53:18]
G
I was never in the building in a previous administration, so I can't really speak to that. But there is a lot of great enthusiasm here. I think people are excited about a lot of the changes that Secretary Hegseth is making and I think that there is a lot of support for this.
- [53:34]
A
All right, everybody, Commander Tim Politora, Special advisor to Secretary of War Pete Henry. Seth, thank you so much and Merry Christmas. All right. Appreciate it. I want to thank everybody for joining the rap family and watching Breaking Point on Real America's Voice News. See you next time.
- [54:02]
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