Sounds like the swamp cabal has twisted the intel and warped the SECDEF's perspective of what was happening. It wouldn't be the first time charismatic manipulators steer personalities that may have taken on more than their shoulders can handle in the early stages.
I did listen to both videos. I don't completely share your descriptions of the individuals, but you also have a much closer perspective. I hope that the truth will outlive the hype from both ends of the spectrum.
Again, my perspective is far removed from the actual events, and I know none of the characters IRL.
What I perceive is SECDEF has been fed information that has separated him from people who may have actually been doing the right thing.
As anyone who has been at a high level of responsibility and authority knows, decisions are often made on intel given to them by people he must trust, but cannot vet.
To rephrase, the swamp cabal, the deep state, the MIC string pullers gave SECDEF the "evidence", and the prepackaged decision (fire them) and he went with it.
As to the rumors of paranoia, chaos, etc. it all sounds so very girl chat innuendo, that I suspect it's just that. More deep state rumors (they are very good at planting discontent..).
My perspective is opinion, no facts, so take it for what it's worth.
It seems more like girl chat and innuendo because the specifics that were discussed with me went beyond what I felt comfortable commenting about publicly. I'd like to believe that he was just fed bad information as this would be cause for hope. At the same time when I discussed with NLF he pointed out anyone truly committed to challenging the system would never make it past senate confirmation. I find this line of reasoning more persuasive than I'd like.
I know none of the players. I'm a civilian that voted for Trump three times and desperately wants him to succeed. I had never heard of Pete Hegseth till he was nominated as secef. In other words, I don't watch, read, pay attention to msm.
I watched both videos, the Tucker interview with Dan Caldwell when it dropped, and the Hegseth piece minutes ago.
Caldwell comes across as completely forthcoming, honest and believable. He expresses his foreign policy views and Trump's better than anyone else in the administration--a strong military makes for a more effective diplomacy, and avoid a costly war with Iran where nobody wins.
To then hear Hegseth in one moment saying he takes leaking seriously and fired "the leakers" and in the next moment say "if the investigation shows they are innocent, great!" and then in the next moment charge that they are continuing to leak to undermine Trump's policy, my head was spinning from the contradictions and amazed the man can say so much without taking a breath.
I think Hegseth has been played by the deep state, and doesn't know which end is up. He's flailing and seems out of his depth. But, it would be disastrous if Trump fired Hegseth. That is exactly what the deep state wants Trump to do.
Trump needs to have a sit-down with Hegseth, tell him if he over-reacted and fired the wrong people, it's O.K. We all make mistakes. Bring them back in and give a big middle finger to the deep state. If they are leakers, get the hell off the TV until the investigation is completed and do your job.
Pete is presently at the head of a movement of reform. Just as Musk is in a related capacity.
“Chaos 😱”!! Like… get results?
Like; pass an audit?
As in do your job, not leak to the media? A cut and paste copy of exactly what was just tried with Trump? Innuendos In full swing. This means he’s a threat to the system and the media is in full campaign against him. This is as credible as any of the other media campaigns the last years, which is to say… not.
> You’re taking a lot from a television interview.
Hegseth is pushing reform and pushing back against war , in particular Ukraine.
Above all Pete Hegseth is a threat to THE MONEY MACHINE.
This is about money and rampant illegality. Frankly if these men who are litigating their innocence in the media within moments of being dismissed for no longer being trusted are dedicated to their country and loyal they would make a quiet statement then leave. They’re not being jailed, just dismissed.
You’re also it seems not just a tad myopic on vaccine but blind to the system that created the vaccine, and DEI and the rest in the first place?
The system of DOD is we are a commodity and a money machine, they don’t care about us, they care about their careers.
Their fortunes.
Get Pete Hegseth was proceeded by innumerable Get ____. Remember Scooter Libby?
He was quite innocent and went to jail even though everyone in DC knew the BIG LEAK was Richard Armitage. We have the same system here.
Pete’s a Drunk, he’s paranoid… etc… Pete is letting go Civil Servants, actually 8% cuts is cosmetic. Pete is revamping Procurement. Pete is presently at the head of a movement of reform and is being painted as drunken, womanizing, paranoid and “causing Chaos.” Chaos as in we expect results.
Pete is just trying to reform a system of decades. You noticed it during vaccines. The vaccine is one abuse of many.
As if the vaccine was some aberration? Well it wasn’t.
My generation went through Gulf War syndrome from Desert Storm- which was the PB tablets given us as nerve agent prophylactic in 1991.
The previous generation went through Agent Orange. Mind you Agent Orange wasn’t quite known at the time.
A decade prior the Penatomic Army was getting marched into fallout clouds.
Get over the vaccine. The vaccine is one abuse of the military and our trust from an organization that has been exploitative and callous towards our fate for decades before we were born.
And to fall for the same playbook again as regards the tired formula being used against ____ (insert name) ____. Hegseth?
Well, he just admitted the covax mandate was unlawful and I had given up hope that would happen. You know I'd love to see him fulfill the promises in the rhetoric, I just know he's surrounded by people who don't support those objectives and will be unlikely to succeed without internal support.
You may want to read “ the ever shrinking fighting force” by MG Arnold Punnaro RET USMC, 2020.
BC - Before COVID.
Hegseth and any SECDEF are up against a bureaucracy that would make Chicago blush. Worse DOD is Congress’s last big pot of discretionary money. The rest is committed by law. Defense is their last playground.
I want him to be able to accomplish all those things. One of the sources of my dismay is that the probability of that happening diminished substantially by dismissing these three individuals. Personnel is policy. I know for certain there are people in the building who are not loyal, and I have some degree of confidence based on life experience and mutual contacts that Dan Caldwell et al is loyal. Whatever the case may be, based on what Pete said the better approach would've been admin leave while an investigation is conducted so as not to burn potential supporters. I think this was discarded as an option because Pete was forced to choose between Joe Kasper and Dan/Collin/Darin and I assess he made the wrong choice.
As to the idea that the military covax mandate was just a continuation of the status quo, I disagree. Unlike GWS/anthrax/agent orange, mandating the shot on the military was used to sell its "safety and efficacy" to the American people. If there is no accountability for it this overreach can be expected to progress and magnify. Accepting no accountability is to me accepting terminal decline of my nation and a complete death knell of the Constitution.
I appreciate your perspective, and have no doubt there is a narrative being run by people to get rid of Pete. That isn't my narrative. Nobody better is going to make it through senate confirmation, but also I don't see how he has any hope of accomplishing any of the herculean tasks he is set upon without the support of loyal and competent followers of character, something I know to be exceedingly rare.
This is a peripheral subject that I’ve been following but yesterday it was either on zero hedge or on Substack that the staff members being fired I read it had to do with advising Pete Hegseth, not to go to war with Iran, upset the Netanyahu administration
Sounds plausible to me since Israel has been running our Middle East foreign policy for almost 30 years
I was told explicitly that wasn’t the case, and I believe Dan when he said in the Tucker interview that he doesn’t think that is the case. Does that mean it isn’t the case? No, not necessarily, but I wouldn’t bet on it. I’ve heard the same about Mike Waltz being reassigned. I don’t know that I shoudl’ve even written this article as I honestly don’t know what to make of everything…
I listened to the Tucker interview with Caldwell yesterday Afternoon. I agree with your assessment. Listening to him I had a bad feeling. I could not believe it when he said Susan Rice still works at the Pentagon. Hegseth sounds like his enemies are leading him, played by psyop. Once you turn on your loyal friends - I don't know how he comes back from that. Hegseth has way to many enemies in the Pentagon not to keep his friends close.
Sounds like the swamp cabal has twisted the intel and warped the SECDEF's perspective of what was happening. It wouldn't be the first time charismatic manipulators steer personalities that may have taken on more than their shoulders can handle in the early stages.
I did listen to both videos. I don't completely share your descriptions of the individuals, but you also have a much closer perspective. I hope that the truth will outlive the hype from both ends of the spectrum.
Thanks for reading and watching/considering. I'd love to hear how your perspective differs if you're willing to elaborate.
Again, my perspective is far removed from the actual events, and I know none of the characters IRL.
What I perceive is SECDEF has been fed information that has separated him from people who may have actually been doing the right thing.
As anyone who has been at a high level of responsibility and authority knows, decisions are often made on intel given to them by people he must trust, but cannot vet.
To rephrase, the swamp cabal, the deep state, the MIC string pullers gave SECDEF the "evidence", and the prepackaged decision (fire them) and he went with it.
As to the rumors of paranoia, chaos, etc. it all sounds so very girl chat innuendo, that I suspect it's just that. More deep state rumors (they are very good at planting discontent..).
My perspective is opinion, no facts, so take it for what it's worth.
It seems more like girl chat and innuendo because the specifics that were discussed with me went beyond what I felt comfortable commenting about publicly. I'd like to believe that he was just fed bad information as this would be cause for hope. At the same time when I discussed with NLF he pointed out anyone truly committed to challenging the system would never make it past senate confirmation. I find this line of reasoning more persuasive than I'd like.
I know none of the players. I'm a civilian that voted for Trump three times and desperately wants him to succeed. I had never heard of Pete Hegseth till he was nominated as secef. In other words, I don't watch, read, pay attention to msm.
I watched both videos, the Tucker interview with Dan Caldwell when it dropped, and the Hegseth piece minutes ago.
Caldwell comes across as completely forthcoming, honest and believable. He expresses his foreign policy views and Trump's better than anyone else in the administration--a strong military makes for a more effective diplomacy, and avoid a costly war with Iran where nobody wins.
To then hear Hegseth in one moment saying he takes leaking seriously and fired "the leakers" and in the next moment say "if the investigation shows they are innocent, great!" and then in the next moment charge that they are continuing to leak to undermine Trump's policy, my head was spinning from the contradictions and amazed the man can say so much without taking a breath.
I think Hegseth has been played by the deep state, and doesn't know which end is up. He's flailing and seems out of his depth. But, it would be disastrous if Trump fired Hegseth. That is exactly what the deep state wants Trump to do.
Trump needs to have a sit-down with Hegseth, tell him if he over-reacted and fired the wrong people, it's O.K. We all make mistakes. Bring them back in and give a big middle finger to the deep state. If they are leakers, get the hell off the TV until the investigation is completed and do your job.
I appreciate this feedback and it resonates with me.
**Operation Get Pete. **
And you fall for it?
Pete is presently at the head of a movement of reform. Just as Musk is in a related capacity.
“Chaos 😱”!! Like… get results?
Like; pass an audit?
As in do your job, not leak to the media? A cut and paste copy of exactly what was just tried with Trump? Innuendos In full swing. This means he’s a threat to the system and the media is in full campaign against him. This is as credible as any of the other media campaigns the last years, which is to say… not.
> You’re taking a lot from a television interview.
Hegseth is pushing reform and pushing back against war , in particular Ukraine.
Above all Pete Hegseth is a threat to THE MONEY MACHINE.
This is about money and rampant illegality. Frankly if these men who are litigating their innocence in the media within moments of being dismissed for no longer being trusted are dedicated to their country and loyal they would make a quiet statement then leave. They’re not being jailed, just dismissed.
You’re also it seems not just a tad myopic on vaccine but blind to the system that created the vaccine, and DEI and the rest in the first place?
The system of DOD is we are a commodity and a money machine, they don’t care about us, they care about their careers.
Their fortunes.
Get Pete Hegseth was proceeded by innumerable Get ____. Remember Scooter Libby?
He was quite innocent and went to jail even though everyone in DC knew the BIG LEAK was Richard Armitage. We have the same system here.
Pete’s a Drunk, he’s paranoid… etc… Pete is letting go Civil Servants, actually 8% cuts is cosmetic. Pete is revamping Procurement. Pete is presently at the head of a movement of reform and is being painted as drunken, womanizing, paranoid and “causing Chaos.” Chaos as in we expect results.
Pete is just trying to reform a system of decades. You noticed it during vaccines. The vaccine is one abuse of many.
As if the vaccine was some aberration? Well it wasn’t.
My generation went through Gulf War syndrome from Desert Storm- which was the PB tablets given us as nerve agent prophylactic in 1991.
The previous generation went through Agent Orange. Mind you Agent Orange wasn’t quite known at the time.
A decade prior the Penatomic Army was getting marched into fallout clouds.
Get over the vaccine. The vaccine is one abuse of the military and our trust from an organization that has been exploitative and callous towards our fate for decades before we were born.
And to fall for the same playbook again as regards the tired formula being used against ____ (insert name) ____. Hegseth?
Don’t be absurd.
Also, if anyone was in a position to advance the narrative you're referencing (and be the source of leaks) I would look at this guy before looking at the people who had worked for/with you for years: https://thenationalpulse.com/2025/04/22/a-biden-holdover-democrat-donor-is-amassing-power-in-trumps-department-of-defense-causing-major-concerns/
I reviewed the link on Buria.
Again we don’t have Hegseth’s picture and so I support him.
Hegseth is there to advance reform and a return to being about war fighting.
As he is of known good and tested mettle continue to support him is where I am.
Well, he just admitted the covax mandate was unlawful and I had given up hope that would happen. You know I'd love to see him fulfill the promises in the rhetoric, I just know he's surrounded by people who don't support those objectives and will be unlikely to succeed without internal support.
I’m glad SECDEF said that about the vaccine.
You may want to read “ the ever shrinking fighting force” by MG Arnold Punnaro RET USMC, 2020.
BC - Before COVID.
Hegseth and any SECDEF are up against a bureaucracy that would make Chicago blush. Worse DOD is Congress’s last big pot of discretionary money. The rest is committed by law. Defense is their last playground.
Will look.
I want him to be able to accomplish all those things. One of the sources of my dismay is that the probability of that happening diminished substantially by dismissing these three individuals. Personnel is policy. I know for certain there are people in the building who are not loyal, and I have some degree of confidence based on life experience and mutual contacts that Dan Caldwell et al is loyal. Whatever the case may be, based on what Pete said the better approach would've been admin leave while an investigation is conducted so as not to burn potential supporters. I think this was discarded as an option because Pete was forced to choose between Joe Kasper and Dan/Collin/Darin and I assess he made the wrong choice.
As to the idea that the military covax mandate was just a continuation of the status quo, I disagree. Unlike GWS/anthrax/agent orange, mandating the shot on the military was used to sell its "safety and efficacy" to the American people. If there is no accountability for it this overreach can be expected to progress and magnify. Accepting no accountability is to me accepting terminal decline of my nation and a complete death knell of the Constitution.
I appreciate your perspective, and have no doubt there is a narrative being run by people to get rid of Pete. That isn't my narrative. Nobody better is going to make it through senate confirmation, but also I don't see how he has any hope of accomplishing any of the herculean tasks he is set upon without the support of loyal and competent followers of character, something I know to be exceedingly rare.
It is true that DOD must was part of COVAX.
My main point is we must now trust Hegseth and Trump.
Regardless.
We simply don’t have their information.
Ironically it appears that Grant is becoming as paranoid as he suspects Pete is.
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that they're not after you...
They really are after us. We’re like the cops. They hate us but can’t do without us.
This is a peripheral subject that I’ve been following but yesterday it was either on zero hedge or on Substack that the staff members being fired I read it had to do with advising Pete Hegseth, not to go to war with Iran, upset the Netanyahu administration
Sounds plausible to me since Israel has been running our Middle East foreign policy for almost 30 years
I was told explicitly that wasn’t the case, and I believe Dan when he said in the Tucker interview that he doesn’t think that is the case. Does that mean it isn’t the case? No, not necessarily, but I wouldn’t bet on it. I’ve heard the same about Mike Waltz being reassigned. I don’t know that I shoudl’ve even written this article as I honestly don’t know what to make of everything…
I listened to the Tucker interview with Caldwell yesterday Afternoon. I agree with your assessment. Listening to him I had a bad feeling. I could not believe it when he said Susan Rice still works at the Pentagon. Hegseth sounds like his enemies are leading him, played by psyop. Once you turn on your loyal friends - I don't know how he comes back from that. Hegseth has way to many enemies in the Pentagon not to keep his friends close.
Wow, anyone who actually believes this bullshit in 2025 should be Court-martialled for: 1) Incompetence, 2) knowingly participating in mass murder