Hegseth’s Focus on ‘Culture War’ Stalling Army Progress Amid Staff Purge, Officials Say: ‘He’s Talking About Muscles, Dudes in Dresses’

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s focus on “culture war” issues is reportedly leading to major concerns in the Pentagon, especially after the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.

CNN’s Haley Britzky and Zachary Cohen dropped a lengthy report on Wednesday, citing sources who expressed growing concerns over what they described as Hegseth’s focus on social issues over modernizing the U.S. military.

Driscoll announced his resignation this week, and he’s just the latest military leader to leave his role or be forced out under Hegseth.

One source familiar with the Driscoll situation told CNN that the Army leader brought up “concerns with the administration surrounding Army transformation and readiness and Hegseth’s blocking those efforts specifically by firing the generals who were responsible” when giving his resignation.

Defense officials have raised alarm over not only Driscoll departing, but others as well, noting that many military leaders forced out of their positions or fired are the exact leaders spearheading efforts to modernize the military as drone technology and more rapidly advances.

Sources red-flagged the firing or “forced exits” of Army Chief of Staff Randy George, former head of US Army Europe and Africa Gen. Christopher Donahue, and former commander of US Army Transformation and Training Command Gen. David Hodne.

“You’re taking away three of the most seasoned combat leaders of a generation who are in a unique position to articulate battlefield requirements,” a former Army official said. “So, I think that the concerns are very real.”

Another source said, “Driscoll and Fitzgerald were focused on the modernization issues and less the social.”

“Driscoll kept trying to change how quickly the Army could learn, experiment, and buy. Hegseth kept returning to what soldiers look like, how they behave, and who gets to lead them,” another defense official said.

A former senior Army official described “turbulence” among the ranks over the firings and Hegseth’s focus on DEI and other social issues.

“It’s critical that you have key leaders that understand technology and have the temperament to deal with industry and turn that into the formation,” the former official said. “When you fire these guys for arbitrary reasons, it creates confusion and a void … the Army is enduring turbulence right now.”

A European defense official added, “It’s conflicting because yeah he put out a memo saying this is important, but … he’s talking about muscles, dudes in dresses, testosterone. We don’t see a change at that level.”

Hegseth has railed against “dudes in dresses” and DEI in the military. He gathered top military generals in October to blast the “woke department,” “dudes in dresses,” and more.

Sean Parnell, the assistant to the Secretary of Defense for public affairs, pushed back on CNN’s report, calling Hegseth a “transformative” leader and dismissing the suggestion of widespread concerns.

“Secretary Hegseth has been a transformative leader for the Department of War and, at President Trump’s Direction, has ushered in a new era of Peace Through Strength,” he said. “Standards and merit are back, our arsenal is stronger than ever before, and morale and recruitment across every service are at all-time highs. Secretary Hegseth has slashed bureaucracy, unleashed innovation, and delivered for our warfighters every step of the way.”

Watch above via CNN.

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