(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The Complete Guide to Why Pete Hegseth Is Not Qualified to Be Secretary of Defense [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-11-21 The Department of Defense is one of the Largest and Most Complex organizations in the world. The Secretary of Defense: oversees 2.9 million people (our nation's largest employer), has an annual budget of $1.99 trillion, oversees almost 562,000 facilities, and oversees a multi-billion dollar complicated global supply chain among many other things. A Comparison of the Qualifications of Trump's Current Pick for Secretary of Defense to the Last Three Secretaries of Defense Trump’s Current Pick of Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth: 1. Hegseth graduated from Princeton University and the school’s Army ROTC program in 2003 2. Frequent contributor to The Princeton Tory, the school’s conservative newspaper. 3. For a time served as its publisher, and was responsible for articles that, as he wrote “strive to defend the pillars of Western civilization against the distractions of diversity” as well as the “immoral gay lifestyle” and “Hey, boys can wear bras and girls can wear ties until we’re blue in the face, but it won’t change the reality that the homosexual lifestyle is abnormal and immoral.” 4. Became a member of the Minnesota National Guard (served a year in Guantanamo Bay) 5. Later joined the Army National Guard and served as an instructor in Afghanistan 6. Served in Iraq 2005-2006. 7. Head of the Concerned Veterans for America, a small group funded by Charles and David Koch 8. Unsuccessfully ran for the Senate in Minnesota in 2012 9. Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Harvard University 2013 (in a stunt he sent back the degree) 10. In 2017, Hegseth was named in an investigation by a Police Department concerning a reported sexual assault at a golf resort. According to officials, Hegseth acknowledges having a sexual encounter with the woman, but insisted it was consensual. Hegseth admits to paying the woman an undisclosed sum of money in exchange for a non-disclosure agreement and no charges. 11. Cohost of Fox & Friends Weekend from 2017 to 2024 12. Produced other TV Shows: Battle in the Holy City, Untold: Patriots Revealed, Modern Warriors, Battle in the Holy Land (Israel), The MisEducation of America, and The Life of Jesus. 13. Hosts annual FOX Nation Patriot Awards 14. Wrote “Battle for the American Mind,” “Modern Warriors,” “War on Warriors,” and “The American Crusade” where he argues that Muslim Holy sites should be destroyed and reclaimed for Christians and endorses the idea of modern Christian Crusades. 15. Mostly known for his Fundamentalist Christian warrior identity politics in his books, podcasts, and TV shows. He moved to Tennessee to send his kids to a "Classical Christian" school and is an active member of the Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship, a church in the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches. 16. Despite his strong Christian Fundamentalist persona that he has promoted in his books, tv shows, and podcasts, he has been divorced 3 times, admittedly cheated on his wife, had a child with another woman while he was still married, and admittedly cheated with the woman who alleged sexual assault while he was married to his second wife and also cheating with his current wife. Marriages: Current Wife - Jennifer Rautchet a Fox New co-worker (1 child - cheated with her and had this child while he was still married to his second wife), Second Wife: Samantha Hegseth (has 3 children with her) whom he cheated on with his present wife, and First Wife: Meredith Schwarz. He is unqualified because he has: limited military experience, no significant leadership experience, no experience running a massive, complex organization, no war strategy education or experience, has never been in charge of any major combat mission, never has been in charge of any significant number of troops, no military logistics experience, and no national security or foreign policy experience. Biden’s Secretary of Defense — 4 Star General Lloyd Austin 1. Graduated from West Point with a Bachelors in Science 2. Commissioned in the Infantry as a Second Lieutenant Has 41 years of active duty military service 3. Completed Airborne and Ranger Schools 4. Riffle Platoon Leader 5. 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, Commanded the Combat Support Company, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 508th Infantry 6. Served as the Assistant S-3 Operations for 1st Brigade 7. Masters Degree in Education from Auburn University 8. Master’s of Business Administration in Business Management from Webster University 9. West Point Company Tactical Officer 10. Graduated from Army Command and Army Staff College 11. Commanded 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum New York, served as the S-3 (Operations) 12. Executive Officer for the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry. 13. Executive Officer for 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain, 14. Director of Plans, Training, Mobilization, and Security for Fort Drum 15. 82nd Airborne Division Commanded the 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 505th Infantry 16. Graduated from Army War College 17. Rose to the rank of Four Star General 18. Austin holds the unique distinction of having commanded in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan at the one-star, two-star, three-star and four-star general levels 19. Commanding General of 10th Mtn Division (Light) and CJTF-180 – Afghanistan 20. Commanding General of Multi-National Corps – Iraq 21. Commanding General of US Forces – Iraq 22. Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army 23. Served as the 12th Commander of United States Central Command (CENTCOM) 24. Before becoming Secretary of Defense, General Austin oversaw all U.S. troops deployed and major United States Military operations around the area of Middle-East, Central Asia, and South Asia. 25. Secretary of Defense under Biden Trump’s First Term Defense Secretary - 4 Star General James Mattis 1. U.S. Marine Corps. Graduate 2. Graduated Central Washington University 3. Mattis rose through the ranks and commanded Marines at all levels, from an infantry rifle platoon to a Marine Expeditionary Force. He spent 42 years in service as a U.S. Marine. 4. He led infantry battalion in Iraq in 1991 5. Led an expeditionary brigade in Afghanistan after the 9/11 terror attack in 2001 6. Led a Marine Division in the initial attack and subsequent stability operations in Iraq in 2003 7. Led all U.S. Marine Forces in the Middle East as Commander, Marine Expeditionary Force, and U.S. Marine Forces Central Command. 8. Rose to the rank of a Four Star General 9. Served as Senior Military Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense 10. Director, Marine Corps Manpower Plans & Policy 11. Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command 12. Executive Secretary to the Secretary of Defense 13. Commanded U.S. Joint Forces Command 14. Head of NATO’s Supreme Allied Command for Transformation 15. Commanded U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) overseeing hundreds of thousand of U.S. soldiers around the world. 16. Served as Davies Family Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, specializing in the study of leadership, national security, strategy, innovation, and the effective use of military force 17. Trump’s First Secretary of Defense in his First Administration Trump’s Other First Term Secretary of Defense — Mark Esper 1. Graduated from West Point 2. Masters Degree from Harvard in Public Administration 3. Phd. in Public Policy from Washington University 4. Esper joined the United States Army and saw combat during the Gulf War as an infantry officer with the 101st Airborne Division 5. Esper subsequently served in the 82nd Airborne Division 6. Commanded a Rifle Company in the 3-325 Airborne Battalion Combat Team 7. Spent 10 years on active military duty 8. Spent an additional 11 years in the National Guard and Army Reserve 9. Retired from the U.S. Army in 2007 10. After leaving military service, he served as Chief of Staff at the Heritage Foundation 11. Served as Legislative Director and Senior Policy Advisor to Senator Chuck Hagel. 12. Senior Professional Staff Member on the Senate Foreign Relations and Senate Government Affairs committees 13. Policy Director for the House Armed Services Committee 14. National Security Advisor for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist 15. Served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for George H.W. Bush 16. 2006-2007, Dr. Esper was the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Defense and International Affairs at Aerospace Industries Association 17. National Policy Director to Senator Fred Thompson for his 2008 presidential campaign 18. Commissioner on the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission 19. Executive Vice President for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Intellectual Property Center and as Vice President for Europe and Eurasian Affairs from 2008-2010 20. Vice President for Government Relations at the Raytheon Company 21. Served as U.S. Secretary of the Army 2017-2019 22. Acting Secretary of Defense 2019 23. 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