Pete Hegseth has a face for television and a machismo of sorts. It appears, even to parts of MAGA, that Donald Trump put him in charge of the armed forces because the President likes attractive people on TV. “Right out of central casting,” Trump once told Secretary Hegseth, patting him on the bicep. “Pete loves war!”  

Hegseth has declared that he wants to sideline military lawyers and go from “tepid legality” to “maximum lethality,” partly because it rhymes. He was accused of ordering the killing of survivors after strikes on alleged Caribbean drug boats – which, if true, would be a war crime. Hegseth has a tattoo on his right arm that reads “Deus Vult,” a rallying cry from the first crusade in 1096. “Ruthless and lethal,” is another of his catchphrases. 

After coming into office, one of Hegseth’s priorities was to rename the Department of Defense the Department of War, which he did. “We are returning to a pure, uncompromised warrior ethos,” he said in his announcement. Yet now there is an ongoing confusion about the nomenclature. “DoW is the official term,” someone in the Pentagon told me, “but many people still use DoD outside of work.” A few military staff have taken to calling Hegseth “Dumb McNamara,” after the Cold War era Secretary Robert McNamara.  

Younger GIs tend to like Hegseth because he’s plainspoken – a guy you’d talk to at a bar

Younger GIs tend to like Hegseth because he’s plainspoken – a guy you’d talk to at a bar

For much of his life, Hegseth has been a heavy drinker. He had a spell in the National Guard, where he........

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