OPINION:
I was disappointed to read about the military brass who did not appreciate Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Sept. 30 speech to generals and admirals gathered at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia (“Top officers lose trust in Hegseth,” Page 1, Oct. 21).
As a former Royal Canadian Air Force officer who very much appreciates that a deadly, warrior-ethos-focused U.S. armed forces is the reason my country is free, I was very pleased with most of Mr. Hegseth’s speech, especially its strong focus on high levels of fitness for all members, including senior officers.
To quote from the article, “Mr. Hegseth [is insistent] that the Pentagon will embrace a color- and gender-blind meritocracy.” The fact that Mr. Hegseth’s critics are complaining about this approach being “at odds with reality inside the Defense Department” is precisely why a shake-up is required in the department. In life-and-death combat situations in war, you don’t care what race or gender your wingman is; you want them to be the very best our society can offer.
Congratulations to Secretary Hegseth for taking the right steps to bring this about.
TOM HARRIS
Ottawa, Ontario
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