SCOUT· 52%31m·2026-10-07·News PoliticsThe Problem With Hegseth’s Pentagon | 'The Opinions' Podcast
What impact has the Iran war had on the U.S. military? As the conflict drags on, the Times Opinion columnist and Iraq war veteran David French speaks with the former Special Forces officer Mike Nelson about the way Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, has tried to remake the military in the midst of the war, and…
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What people are saying
“Hegseth aiming for a “spartan mindset” and then immediately losing to the Persians is completely on brand for this administration.”
“Superbly balanced interview. As a former veteran watching the DoD’s ironic dismantling and shift toward the petty culture wars i think you nailed the unbalanced warrior focus. You were careful not to highlight the hypocrisy of the manicured…”
“people who pronounce it "eye-ran" have no credibility”
“George W. Bush did NOT have to answer for his Iraq war. The invasion was predicated on the lie that Iraq had WMD and we didn't want 'the smoking gun to turn out to be a nuclear weapon'. He oversaw an illegal war that upended the region and…”
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Inside Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon Shake-Up
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