Welcome back to The Pentagon Rundown! Pete Hegseth’s nomination to become the next defense secretary may be in jeopardy following allegations of mismanagement when he was CEO of Concerned Veterans for America and reports that his colleagues at Fox News are concerned about his drinking — all of which Hegseth has denied.
President-elect Donald Trump is considering replacing Hegseth with Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to the Wall Street Journal. Hegseth, however, has vowed to “fight like hell” to make sure his nomination goes through, and he has vowed to stop drinking if confirmed, Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) told reporters recently.
A woman has accused Hegseth of sexually assaulting her in 2017, but police did not charge him after investigating the incident. Hegseth’s attorney, Tim Parlatore, told Task & Purpose last month that “The police report confirms what I’ve said all along: that the incident was fully investigated and the police found the allegations to be false which is why no charges were filed.” Parlatore also told Military.com that Hegseth made a payment to the woman so that she wouldn’t sue him, adding, “He was the victim of blackmail.”
Hegseth is one of several Global War on Terrorism veterans whom Trump has tapped for his cabinet whose worldview has largely been shaped by two decades of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. On Thursday, Hegseth posted a picture on X of two Marines kneeling before a monument to a fallen comrade along with the message: “Maybe it’s time for a @SecDef who has … Led in combat. Been on patrol for days. Pulled a trigger. Heard bullets whiz by. Called in close air support. Led medevacs. Dodged IEDs. And understands—to his core—the power of this photo … because he’s been on that knee before.”
There’s been an avalanche of other news over the past two weeks. Here’s your weekly rundown.
- The Syrian Civil War has exploded. Rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham — which began as al Qaida’s branch in Syria and has been designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the State Department — have captured Aleppo and Hama, the country’s second and fourth-largest cities, respectively. Although the United States is not involved in the conflict, Al-Monitor reported that U.S. troops in the Deir ez-Zor province called in airstrikes against forces loyal to Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad because they came under fire while assisting U.S.-backed militia fighters that were seizing villages under the Assad regime’s control. Three U.S. troops are being evaluated for possible traumatic brain injuries after rockets and mortars were fired in the direction of American forces near Mission Support Site Euphrates on Tuesday, Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman said on Thursday. Ryder repeatedly declined to say whether U.S. troops were supporting partner forces against Assad forces at the time of the airstrikes. “In this particular case, I am not going to talk about [Syrian Democratic Forces] operations,” Ryder said. “I am not an SDF spokesman.”
- Veterans benefits in the crosshairs? The Economist took “a turkey-sized dump on disabled veterans” this Thanksgiving by running an article arguing that disability benefits for veterans are “absurdly generous,” wrote Patrick Murray, of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, in a rebuttal of the story. The article is the latest in a growing chorus of calls to reduce veterans disability compensation, and it comes as Trump has nominated one of the architects of Project 2025, the policy guide that stated that a growing number of health conditions that qualify for VA disability are “tenuously related or wholly unrelated to military service,” to oversee government spending.
- Martial law. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Tuesday, but a few hours later the country’s parliament voted unanimously to cancel his declaration, forcing Yoon to back down. The president could now be impeached. Army Gen. Paul J. LaCamera, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, issued a message on Thursday warning troops and families that the South Korean government is still working to resolve the situation. “I ask everyone to exercise individual vigilance about where, how, when, and with whom you will travel throughout Korea,” LaCamera wrote. “Please be aware of your surroundings, particularly when visiting in and around the U.S. Army Garrison in Yongsan, as it is adjacent to prominent [Republic of Korea] government institutions. Avoid areas or situations where protests or demonstrations may occur, and plan your travels with additional care, awareness, and contingencies.”
- Tenuous ceasefire. Israel and Hezbollah reached a ceasefire agreement on Nov. 26 that calls for Hezbollah fighters to retreat 25 miles from Lebanon’s border for Israel while Israeli troops gradually withdraw from south Lebanon. So far, both sides have continued to shoot at each other, and Israel’s defense minister has vowed to “go deeper” into Lebanon if hostilities resume. Hezbollah has been badly mauled by Israel and has lost key leaders, such as its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah. Still, the terrorist group’s current leader, Naim Qassem, has claimed that just by surviving, Hezbollah has won in a George W. Bush “Mission Accomplished” kind of way.
- Fallen Americans come home. The bodies of three Americans who were killed while fighting in Ukraine have been identified and the first one arrived home over Thanksgiving weekend, according to The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak. The R.T. Weatherman Foundation, a group of U.S. veterans, relief and humanitarian workers, is facilitating the identification and return of the remains. “The foundation declined to publicly name the three Americans, noting that their families could become a target for Russian trolls and other bad actors,” Mak and Mariana Lastovyria reported. More than 70 Americans have died in Ukraine and Russia since February 2022, according to a list compiled by Task & Purpose from open sources.
- The plane that couldn’t shoot straight. After years of development, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s 25mm gun still can’t hit the broadside of a barn, according to a recently declassified report. The gun issue is one of the many headaches plaguing the still-not-ready-for-prime-time F-35, which has failed to meet its mission-capable rate goals for six straight years even though the Pentagon spent more than $12 billion to operate and maintain the aircraft. At this rate, it might be easier to upgrade the F-35’s canopy so the pilot can roll down the window and open fire at targets with a handgun.
Thanks to everyone who responded to our poll for the most depressing nuclear war movie ever. “The Day After” won by a landslide, but honorable mentions include “When the Wind Blows,” “A Boy and His Dog,” and “On the Beach.”