Team America

Summary

Today, Explained: Episode Summary – "Team America"

Release Date: November 18, 2024
Hosts: Sean Rameswaram and Noel King
Network: Vox Media Podcast Network

---

Introduction: Trump's Rapid National Security Team Selections

In the latest episode of Today, Explained, hosts Noel King and Dan Lamothe delve into the swift and contentious picks made by former President Donald Trump for his national security team. The selections range from seasoned politicians to polarizing media personalities, signaling Trump's strategic priorities and potential shifts in national security policies.

---

Pete Hegseth: Controversial Nominee for Defense Secretary

Background and Selection

Noel King opens the discussion by highlighting Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host and former Army National Guard member, nominated by Trump to lead the Pentagon. Hegseth's nomination has sparked significant debate due to his unconventional background and outspoken views.

Noel King [00:01]: "Donald Trump is picking his national security team quickly and his choices run the gamut."

Military Service and Leadership Claims

Dan Lamothe provides an overview of Hegseth's military background, emphasizing his deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and his subsequent roles in veterans' nonprofits.

Dan Lamothe [02:39]: "Pete Hegseth is currently a Fox News host. He's one of the hosts of Fox and Friends Weekend."

Controversies Surrounding Hegseth

1. Tattoos and Extremism Allegations

   Hegseth faced scrutiny when a National Guard member flagged his tattoos, leading to internal investigations questioning potential ties to extremist groups.

   Unknown Speaker [06:27]: "There's two. And I think the challenge here is there is dual meanings for both of these things. These are things that have been co-opted."

   Hegseth defends his tattoos as religious symbols devoid of nationalist intent.

   Pete Hegseth [07:08]: "It has nothing to do with white nationalism or nationalism or extremism. It's a cross you'll see in Jerusalem when you visit."

2. Sexual Assault Allegation and Settlement

   The episode recounts an allegation from 2017 where a woman accused Hegseth of sexual assault following a consensual encounter. Although no charges were filed, Hegseth later settled the civil claim, raising questions about his character and suitability for defense secretary.

   Unknown Speaker [08:54]: "She alleges sexual assault. He says it was consensual. The police looked into it. They didn't file charges."

Potential Senate Confirmation Challenges

Lamothe discusses the implications of these controversies on Hegseth’s confirmation process, noting uncertainty about Republican senators' willingness to oppose Trump's nominee.

Unknown Speaker [10:08]: "We're not sure what it would take for Republican-led Senate in the year 2025 to knock down a nominee."

---

Hegseth's Views on the Military and "Wokeness"

Hegseth has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with what he terms a "woke" military, advocating for a return to traditional values and increased focus on military lethality.

Pete Hegseth [08:06]: "Whether it's woke stuff, social justice stuff, gender stuff, environmental stuff... I joined the army to fight extremists. Twenty years later, I was deemed an extremist because of a tattoo I have on my chest."

Opposition to Women in Combat Roles

Hegseth has publicly opposed the inclusion of women in combat roles, arguing it complicates military operations and increases casualties.

Pete Hegseth [21:20]: "We should not have women in combat roles."

Lamothe explains the ongoing debate within the military regarding women in combat, highlighting the potential impact of Hegseth’s stance.

---

Implications of Hegseth’s Potential Leadership

Policy Rollbacks and Military Structure

If confirmed, Hegseth is expected to reverse previous administration policies, particularly those related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). He may also push for the removal of senior military officers he perceives as disloyal or excessively progressive.

Dan Lamothe [20:37]: "We would expect a rollback of the DoD abortion travel policy... views on women in combat units."

The Warrior Board Executive Order

A significant focus is the proposed executive order to establish a "Warrior Board," aimed at assessing senior military officers for partisan loyalty rather than performance.

Dan Lamothe [22:46]: "The initial Warrior Board occurred after World War II... This Warrior board is something a bit different."

Potential Risks and Challenges

Lamothe raises concerns about undermining military neutrality, as senior officers might become partisan tools, potentially compromising national security by stifling honest counsel and strategic dissent.

Dan Lamothe [24:46]: "If the president prefers to install yes men... real risks that are not being identified..."

---

Trump’s National Security Priorities Reflected in Team Selections

The episode analyzes how Trump's picks, including Hegseth, reveal his broader national security strategy:

1. End to "Forever Wars": Emphasizing the withdrawal from prolonged conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan.

   Kristi Noem [18:25]: "I want to bring our troops back from the endless wars."

2. Deterrence Against China: Strengthening military readiness to counter China as a near-peer threat.

   Dan Lamothe [17:54]: "A strong emphasis on deterrence against China..."

3. Troop Reductions Overseas: Advocating for redeployment of American troops from foreign bases to the U.S.

   Kristi Noem [19:31]: "We're going to be reducing Germany very substantially..."

4. Enhanced Border Security: Utilizing military resources to secure U.S. borders until comprehensive measures are in place.

   Kristi Noem [20:09]: "Until we can have a wall in proper security, we're going to be guarding our border with the military."

---

Impact on Military Trust and Civil-Military Relations

Lamothe discusses how politicizing military leadership could erode public trust in the armed forces and disrupt the essential non-partisan nature of military advice to civilian leadership.

Dan Lamothe [25:42]: "The military and general officers... are not partisan tools... confusion drives a narrative that general officers are themselves partisan actors."

---

Conclusion: Navigating a Polarized Defense Leadership

Team America paints a complex picture of Donald Trump's national security appointments, particularly Pete Hegseth’s nomination, highlighting the potential for significant shifts in U.S. defense policies and the risks associated with politicizing military leadership. The episode underscores the delicate balance between political objectives and maintaining a professional, non-partisan military apparatus essential for national security.

---

Notable Quotes:

• Noel King [00:01]: "Donald Trump is picking his national security team quickly and his choices run the gamut."
• Pete Hegseth [07:08]: "It has nothing to do with white nationalism or nationalism or extremism."
• Pete Hegseth [21:20]: "We should not have women in combat roles."
• Dan Lamothe [24:46]: "If the president prefers to install yes men... real risks that are not being identified."

---

This summary is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of the "Team America" episode for those who have not listened to it. For full insights and detailed discussions, tuning into the Today, Explained podcast is recommended.

Transcript

[Noel King]

Donald Trump is picking his national security team quickly and his choices run the gamut. There are respected normies like little Senator Marco Rubio for Secretary of State.

[Dan Lamothe]

It's a tremendous honor to the president would place his confidence in me in a position of such importance.

[Noel King]

Mike Walz, a China hawk and adviser to Dick Cheney, who Trump chose as his national security adviser, is the first Green Beret in Congress.

[Pete Hegseth]

In our training, we have to learn multiple languages.

[Kristi Noem]

We have to blend in.

[Pete Hegseth]

We have to specialize in certain parts of the world.

[Noel King]

South Culture Warrior Immigration Hardliner RIP Cricket South Dakota Gov Kristi Noem arguably has the experience to lead Homeland Security.

[Katherine Kuzminski]

When Texas and Arizona asked for help, that sent my National Guard troops down there to help.

[Noel King]

Then there are the provocative choices. The weekend Fox News host Pete the fill in Fox News host Tulsi Are they prepared for this moment? We're going to ask on Today. Explain.

[Unknown]

Support for this show comes from Polestar. Polestar is an electric performance car brand that is focused on innovation for both cutting edge technology and design and their all electric SUV. Polestar 3 is for those unwilling to compromise. For those who believe they shouldn't have to choose between the spacious comfort of an SUV and the agile handling of a sports car. For those who need an intuitive infotainment system and a dashboard designed with minimalism in mind. Polestar 3 is for drivers who won't settle for anything less. Book a Test drive for Polestar [e-mail].

[Katherine Kuzminski]

Support for the show comes from AT and T. What does it feel like to get the new iPhone 16 Pro with at and T? Next up Anytime. It's like when you first light up the grill and think of all the mouthwatering possibilities. Learn how to get the new iPhone 16 Pro with Apple Intelligence on AT and T and the latest iPhone every year with AT and T. Next up anytime. ATT connecting changes everything. Apple Intelligence coming fall 2024 with Siri and device language set to US English. Some features and languages will be coming over the next year. $0 offer may not be available on future iPhones. Next up Anytime feature may be discontinued at any time, subject to change additional fees. Terms and restrictions apply. See att.com iPhone for detail.

[Unknown]

This is TODAY Explained.

[Noel King]

I'm Noel King. Dan Lamoth of the Washington Post has covered the US military and the Pentagon for the last 16 years. Dan, tell us what you know about Pete Hegseth, who Donald Trump has picked to lead the Pentagon.

[Unknown]

Yeah, Pete Hegseth is currently a Fox News host. He's one of the hosts of Fox and Friends weekend.

[Pete Hegseth]

I don't think I've washed my hands for 10 years.

[Unknown]

Really?

[Kristi Noem]

I don't.

[Pete Hegseth]

I don't really wash my hands. No. I inoculate myself.

[Dan Lamothe]

It's just not.

[Pete Hegseth]

Germs are not a real thing. I can't see them.

[Unknown]

Prior to that, he led a couple small veterans nonprofits, and prior to that he served in the Army National Guard. He had a pretty serious deployment to Iraq in an infantry unit and then also served as a military advisor in uniform for a deployment to Afghanistan.

[Pete Hegseth]

I served in Iraq before I deployed to Afghanistan. Before I left for deployment to Iraq, I had a pessimistic view of the war. Negative headlines were everywhere. We were told it was a quagmire. Instead, after a year of combat, I came home cautiously optimistic. Iraq had some.

[Noel King]

Is this typically the kind of experience that the person leading the Pentagon has?

[Unknown]

No, most typically your defense secretary is not only somebody who's got experience around the Defense Department in some capacity, but often they've got very serious CEO level experience running major institutions, be that a different government agency, somebody that maybe ran the CIA or something like that first, or someone who's coming into this with serious experience running a major corporation. I mean, the Pentagon is really both. It is both a national security institution and a major, major, major business.

[Noel King]

So why did Donald Trump pick him if he doesn't have the experience?

[Unknown]

I think first and foremost, they're aligned on a lot of the issues. I think this is someone who has the impulse to go after the Pentagon, go after the senior officers who have made decisions over the years that they disagree with. I think a generous interpretation would be he will shake up the status quo. I think the concern that a lot of people are sharing with me is that he's going to tear down the institution in any way he can.

[Noel King]

You reported this weekend that a fellow member of the National Guard at one point questioned whether Hegseth has ties to extremism. Why was this accusation made and by whom?

[Unknown]

Yeah, this starts with, if we can set it, I guess, around the inauguration period of Joe Biden on this hallowed ground where just a few days ago violence sought to shake the Capitol's very foundation.

[Pete Hegseth]

We come together as one nation.

[Unknown]

We had January 6, the attack on the Capitol that had just happened, you know, early in January. And then you had this period where there were tens of thousands of National Guard members who were stationed all over the city, particularly all over the federal part of the city. Probably about a third of them will be carrying weapons as we came in.

[Pete Hegseth]

Today, you could see it on the street corners in D.C. you've got National Guardsmen with M16s over their shoulder.

[Unknown]

He had guardsmen that were sleeping in the parking garages of the city. They mean they were kind of everywhere at that time. And Hegseth was a member of the DC Guard. The DC Guard was activated more or less in full. And as that happened, Travis Acres flagged a couple of the tattoos that he had. And that generated an internal report to D.C. guard leadership, basically questioning whether the tattoos he had would indicate that he may have been a white nationalist or had some sort of sympathies along those lines.

[Pete Hegseth]

I was supposed to be guarding the inauguration. I had orders like everybody else. Remember that half the National Guard was there. And I quietly got a phone call from a member of my unit saying, your orders are revoked. You don't need to show up.

[Noel King]

What are those tattoos? Can you explain?

[Unknown]

There's two. And I think the challenge here is there is dual meanings for both of these things. These are things that have been co opted. One of them is a Jerusalem cross. It's basically a cross with four smaller crosses around it. That's. That's on Hexat's chest. And then there's a saying, douce vault, that is on his bicep. And douce fault means God wills it. It goes back to the Crusades. So does the Jerusalem cross in a lot of ways. But they've also been increasingly adopted by the far right. So Hegseth has said repeatedly, it's a religious tattoo.

[Pete Hegseth]

It has nothing to do with white nationalism or nationalism or extremism. It's a cross you'll see in Jerusalem when you visit. Christianity is near and dear to who I am.

[Unknown]

It's really, you know, there's a number of ways you can interpret this. And I think that's one of the challenges when symbols and logos and mottos get co opted like this is, you know, there's often a sort of, know, very visceral reaction to it. But then you got to dig deeper and I think, you know, we're still going to be looking for more explanation for. Why would you choose to get that? What were you thinking? Things, things like that.

[Noel King]

All right, so there's an investigation conducted into Pete Hegseth. And then what happens next? What happens to his standing in the National Guard?

[Unknown]

He, he left by choice. It's like, I don't need to be here, I don't need to deal with it. That sort of vibe to it. He has written basically that that helped motivate him to really scrutinize the military on whether it had become too political.

[Pete Hegseth]

Whether it's woke stuff, social justice stuff, gender stuff, environmental stuff, the obsession with electric tanks, stuff that doesn't make us more lethal, that it doesn't point toward meritocracy and poisons the ranks. So I saw it firsthand. I joined the army to fight extremists. Twenty years later, I was deemed an extremist because of a tattoo I have on my chest.

[Unknown]

He is. He's really gone to some length since then to portray the military as a very partisan organization, an organization that has become too woke, too left wing. And obviously there are a broad spectrum of people that would disagree with that assessment.

[Noel King]

So there was another big story this weekend about Pete Hegseth, and it has to do with a woman who claims he paid her off. Can you tell us what happened with this woman? What is alleged to have happened?

[Unknown]

So we're talking 2017. He was out giving a speech of sorts at a hotel in California. He appears to have met this woman in the bar nearby after doing the engagement. The allegation is that they ended up in the room. She alleges sexual assault. He says it was consensual. The police looked into it. They didn't file charges. And then in 2020, Heth's lawyer is now alleging that she approached again. She was seeking on the civil side recompense for this. And Hegseth decided to settle. Undisclosed amount, but basically try to make the problem go away. Apparently, right after the nomination of Hegseth, a report was generated to the transition team going back to this incident. It seems to have caught the transition team by surprise. At the moment. Trump is still standing by Hex, but there are at least other people on that transition, transition team that are, that are now, I think, running a serious assessment of whether they have a problem here.

[Noel King]

Okay, so if they do have a problem here, what does that mean? Does it mean he can't get through the Senate? He can't be confirmed?

[Unknown]

I mean, that's. That. That I think first and foremost is a question for the senators. I think we're running running into a situation where we're not sure what it would take for Republican led Senate in the year 2025 to knock down a nominee.

[Noel King]

All right, aside from these things that have been dug up, reported on and dug up about Pete Hegseth, there's a bunch that did not have to be dug up because he's a media personality and he talks a lot. What has he said in the past that has kind of sent a shiver through the spines of sort of normie.

[Unknown]

DC Right before the nomination, he appeared on a podcast called the Sean Ryan Show. It's become very popular, particularly among a lot of veterans. And they were discussing what would it take to sort of fix the quote unquote woke military. And he said, well, first of all, I would start by firing the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. So that's the Pentagon's top general, CQ Brown. This is somebody that Trump himself selected to run the Air Force.

[Pete Hegseth]

You got to fire the chairman of Joint Chiefs and you got to fire this. I mean, obviously going to bring in a new secretary of defense. But any general that was involved, General, Admiral, whatever that was involved in any of the DEI woke, it's got to go.

[Unknown]

Hexat's point of view is that he's too woke, has leaned into diversity issues too much. You know, basically is not focused on lethality and other issues that the Pentagon should be concerned with foremost. And basically they need to reset.

[Noel King]

Is there any argument for Pete Hegseth as head of the Pentagon, any argument that you've heard beyond just donald Trump wants this guy?

[Unknown]

Yeah, I think the argument you hear from people who know Hegseth, from people who want something different is that Hegseth is a well spoken individual who has served, does have experiences in these wars on the ground level, who is willing to look at this from a critical point of view, not a sort of institutional. I'm going to be a figurehead at the top.

[Noel King]

All right, so you've been on this beat for 16 years. And so, you know, the type of reaction that usually comes when a president's picks are announced. What do you think about the reactions this time around?

[Unknown]

I mean, I think it's just the idea that these are, these are not serious people, these are not serious nominees in the eyes of the overwhelming institution, the institutions they will lead, the people that work around them, the people that have spent their entire lives focused on this sort of thing. And I think there is a very fair discussion, particularly coming out of 20 years of war, Iraq, Afghanistan and so forth, about whether or not the institutional perspective here often is missing other things. That is a very fair discussion to have. But I think the counterpoint here, the fear here is whether or not if the response to that very fair criticism is going to be, all right, we need to fire X number of generals, we need to more or less turn the clock back 20, 30, 50 years where you're like, this is culture war stuff that on one hand will make a point, but on the other hand, actually turns off a significant number of people who may want to serve.

[Noel King]

That was the Washington Post's Dan Lamothe. Coming up, what Donald Trump's picks tell us about his priorities Support for Today Explained comes from Ramp if you run a company and you're looking for a way to simplify those finance operations, then Ramp could be a complete game changer. Ramp is a corporate card and spend management software designed to help you save time and put money back into your back pocket. According to Ramp, when you use Ramp, finance teams can get unprecedented control and insight into how your company is spending its money. Ramp lets you issue those cards to every employee, automate that expense reporting. It even collects receipts and categorizes your expenses in real time so you don't have to. No more chasing down receipts, no more spending hours on expense reports. Whether you have five employees or 5,000, RAMP can help you close the books faster. And now you can get $250. When you join ramp, you just go to ramp.com explained. That's ramp.com explained, ramp.com explained cards issued by Sutton bank member FDIC and terms and conditions do apply. Support for Today Explained comes from Deleteme. When your data is compromised, you can be phished or identity thieved or SP spam called. Even if you're not in the public eye, bad actors can still find your personal information online. Deleteme wants to help you. Delete Me is a subscription service that can find and remove your personal info online and from hundreds of data brokers. Our colleague Claire deleted herself.

[Dan Lamothe]

It's been really wonderful having Deleteme. I feel like my information is much more secure. The amount of listings that they found, including my address, my phone number, my email was pretty staggering. But they've removed it for me and I feel a lot safer online.

[Noel King]

Now you can take control of your data and keep your private life private by signing up for Deleteme now at a special discount for our listeners. You can get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to JoinDeleteMe.com today and use the promo code today at checkout. The only way to get 20% off is to go to JoinDeleteMe.com today and enter code today at checkout. JoinDeleteMe.com today code today you.

[Dan Lamothe]

Support for.

[Noel King]

Today Explained comes from Shopify. Running your own business has never been easy, business owners know, and these days it's even harder. You might have a killer product, a slick brand and still not be able to convert browsers into buyers, especially if it's just too complicated to buy your product. You might want to try Shopify. Shopify is an online commerce platform that makes it easy to buy and sell. According to Shopify, businesses that use their Shop Pay feature see conversions up to 50% fewer carts abandoned, more sales. The platform is engineered to drive growth for mom and pop shops and retail giants alike. Shopify's ensemble of useful tools can make it easy to sell in person and online. Shopify is the commerce platform of choice for brands such as Allbirds, Skims, momofuku, Mattel, and so much more. You can sign up for your $1 per month trial [e-mail] explained. All lowercase guys you can go to shopify.com explained to upgrade your selling today. That's shopify.com explained.

[Dan Lamothe]

This is today explained.

[Noel King]

Katherine Kuzminski is the Deputy Director of Studies and director of the Military Veterans and Society Program at the center for a New American Security cnas. Her friends call her Katherine. We learned in the first half of the show that Donald Trump likes Pete Hegseth, in part because he's a veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hegseth is very critical of those wars which America was in and out of for a generation. What does Donald Trump want when it comes to war?

[Dan Lamothe]

So there's a couple of things. One is in line with what we see in our current national security strategy that was rolled out during the Biden administration. A strong emphasis on deterrence against China, specifically in terms of a near peer threat.

[Kristi Noem]

China doesn't want me to win, obviously, because I was kicking China's ass.

[Dan Lamothe]

There's been a lot of rhetoric against the forever wars. So considering the wars in the Middle east, in Iraq and Afghanistan, a big.

[Kristi Noem]

Part of my campaign, I want to bring our troops back from the endless wars. We have endless wars. They're going on for 19 years in the area.

[Dan Lamothe]

And then also not being drawn into large scale conflict, specifically into Russia, Ukraine, which has been a focus on the campaign.

[Kristi Noem]

I want everybody to stop dying. They're dying. Russians and Ukrainians, I want them to stop dying.

[Dan Lamothe]

But also a recognition that there are strong threats coming from certainly from China, also Iran and North Korea.

[Kristi Noem]

If we take that option, it will be devastating, I can tell you that. Devastating for North Korea, that's called the military option. If we have to take it, we will.

[Dan Lamothe]

The focus there is on deterrence. So he essentially wants to build a strong military but not use it. We saw as he was leaving the administration, his previous administration, he called for A removal or a moving of troops out of Germany back to the United States States.

[Kristi Noem]

We're going to be reducing Germany very substantially, down to about 25,000 troops. We actually had 52,000, but we'll be moving it down to about 25,000. Germany is paying a very small fraction of what they're supposed to be paying.

[Dan Lamothe]

That didn't actually occur, even though he called for that, because that requires quite a bit of resources from Congress to wholesale move troops internationally. And that that plan did not play out. But I do think that we should expect to see that he will be pushing to move troops from overseas stations back to the United States for other missions.

[Kristi Noem]

Until we can have a wall in proper security, we're going to be guarding our border with the military. That's a big step.

[Noel King]

Let's talk about Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump's nominee for defense secretary. He says he doesn't think the US should be fighting forever wars like the ones in Iraq and Afghanistan. What do we know about what he might mean for the Department of Defense if he's confirmed?

[Dan Lamothe]

There are things that are consistent with any nominee we would expect from President Trump, and then there are things that are specific to potential confirmation of Secretary Hegseth. So on the one hand, we would expect that any secretary of defense who is serving under President Trump. Some of the first policies we'll expect are a rollback of the DoD abortion travel policy that was put in place by the previous administration, where we saw some of the commentary from Pete Hegseth moving forward that might not align with all nominees are his views on women in combat units and in specific military occupational specialties.

[Pete Hegseth]

Because I'm straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles.

[Dan Lamothe]

In his opinion, women in combat put other troops at risk, put male troops at risk.

[Pete Hegseth]

Everything about men and women serving together makes the situation more complicated. And complication in combat means casualties are worse.

[Dan Lamothe]

This has been an area of contention even within the military services since women have been allowed to serve in all combat positions.

[Kristi Noem]

I've been impressed with the fact that everyone, everyone, men and women alike, everyone is committed to doing the job. They're fighting and they're dying together. And the time has come for our policies to recognize that reality.

[Dan Lamothe]

It's not that we can't carry the weight. We can carry the weight, but it's the pace. You're looking at ourselves. And we have males that are almost 6 foot with longer strides, and it's hard to catch up with them and keep up with them. So one way that Hegseth could move forward on the outcome he is after without banning women from frontline combat units would be to have a single standard for particular units or roles.

[Noel King]

The Wall Street Journal had a blockbuster story last week. Donald Trump's transition team is crafting an executive order that would establish a Warrior Board. What is this and what would it do?

[Dan Lamothe]

The initial Warrior Board occurred after World War II, examining the performance of sitting general officers against their jobs. There was a belief that they were staying on too long and they weren't opening up positions for junior officers who needed to promote through the ranks, who were bringing a lot of vigor and vitality to the job. This Warrior board is something a bit different. It appears to not be focused on performance in the job, but rather partisan loyalty. The reporting indicates that Trump will ask for the resignation of all general officers who were involved in the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

[Kristi Noem]

He should have fired every military man that was involved with that Afghan. The Afghanistan horror show. The most embarrassing moment in the history of our country.

[Dan Lamothe]

Holding general officers accountable for operational outcomes is something that has been called upon multiple presidents to do and something we haven't necessarily seen in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But on the flip side, what this executive order also lays out is essentially loyalty tests for those who are currently in senior general officer positions. Senior military officers serve careers upwards of 40 years across multiple administrations. And you want to see the continuity and that uniform leadership that will carry the nation's security regardless of the partisan issues that happen in transitions between administrations.

[Noel King]

For the skeptics in the audience, for the people who voted for Donald Trump because they like the way he operates, what problems could arise if a president is allowed to fire generals because he doesn't think that they're loyal enough to him?

[Dan Lamothe]

The biggest challenges from a national security perspective is that particularly with your chairman and your Joint Chiefs of Staff. So the leaders of the uniform, leaders of each of the individual services, their role is to seek out the blind spots the president might not be seeing. And so if the president prefers to install yes men into these positions, there's the potential that plans, operational plans, the next national security strategy, that there are real risks that are not being identified, particularly if the perspectives of senior military officers are either disregarded or if the individuals who are appointed to those positions don't feel comfortable sharing bad news.

[Noel King]

What effect might this move have on the way Americans think about the military and trust the military?

[Dan Lamothe]

Yeah, so I think one of the biggest challenges is that the military and general officers in particular, they are political instruments. They interact with foreign leaders. They interact with the civilians on the National Security Council. They interact with Congress. They interact with the other departments and agencies. But they are not partisan tools. They are not tied to the agendas of a given administration. They don't set policy. They implement policy that is set by the commander in chief. One of the biggest challenges is that the way Trump has spoken about general officers over the last eight or nine years has referred to them as though they are partisan tools. So the use of the term my generals versus you know, Biden's woke generals misunderstands the role of senior military leadership and drives a narrative that general officers are themselves partisan actors.

[Noel King]

Kate Kuzminski of the center for a New American Security, Peter Balanon Rosen and Victoria Chamberlain produced today's show. Miranda Kennedy edited Grant Chamberlain turned four. Happy birthday to him, Patrick Boyd and Mr. Robb engineered and Laura Bullard checked the facts. I'm Noelle King. It's Today.

[Unknown]

Support for this podcast comes from Stripe. Stripe is a payments and billing platform supporting millions of businesses around the world, including companies like uber, BMW and DoorDash. Stripe has helped countless startups and established companies alike reach their growth targets, make progress on their missions and reach more customers globally. The platform offers a suite of specialized features and tools to fast track growth like Stripe Billing, which makes it easy to handle subscription based charges, invoicing and all recurring revenue management needs. You can learn how Stripe helps companies of all sizes make [e-mail] that's stripe.com to learn more. Stripe Make Progress.