-9999
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise to discuss my concern about the chaos that is roiling the Department of Defense. Sunday will mark the 100th day of Pete Hegseth serving as Secretary of Defense.
During his confirmation hearing, Mr. Hegseth said:
President Trump wants a Pentagon laser focused on warfighting, lethality, meritocracy, standards, and readiness. That is it. That is my job.
Well, Secretary Hegseth is failing the mission President Trump gave him. His actions over the past 100 days have done nothing but distract the Pentagon and undermine warfighting, lethality, meritocracy, standards, and readiness.
In the first 100 days, Secretary Hegseth has terminated or weakened programs and processes that are the bedrock upon which our military recruits personnel and trains servicemembers to go into battle.
For example, in February the Secretary announced his plan to slash the civilian workforce by 5 to 8 percent, terminate probationary workers, and institute a hiring freeze.
These severe measures have only meant more work for the remaining employees and more costly work for military officers and contractors to cover the gaps, or simply not to carry out the missions.
The Secretary has also launched a number of efforts to eliminate diversity and inclusion programs, which have led to more limited recruiting efforts, attempts to separate honorably serving transgender servicemembers, dissolving social clubs at the military academies, banning and removing books from the Naval Academy, and inspiring walkouts by students at DOD schools abroad over book bans and curriculum changes.
Frankly, I joined the Army in 1967 and served on Active Duty for 12 years, and the idea that dependent children of military personnel in DOD schools would protest the Secretary of Defense to me was inconceivable, but it has happened, showing, I think, great anxiety in the ranks of our military personnel all across the globe.
The Secretary is also failing his duty to lead the Department by example. That is one of the key touchstones of any military leader: ``Do what I do'' and ``Follow me.''
For example, on March 24, Mr. Hegseth demonstrated a severe lack of judgment when he texted classified military intelligence on the unclassified and unsecured Signal app to at least two group chats, including one with his wife, brother, and personal lawyer, which raises the question: Why would they have access to, or should have access to, highly classified information? That information, if intercepted by an adversary, would endanger the lives of our servicemembers deployed downrange.
The Secretary also installed a ``dirty line,'' which is an unsecured internet connection into his Pentagon office so he could more easily send texts and personal emails. Such actions violate the laws and protocols that every other military servicemember is required to follow.
When military leaders bring in enlisted personnel and junior officers and tell them about the boundaries of proper cyber use, they make it very clear: It is completely inappropriate--indeed, dangerous--to plug a dirty line into an official computer.
The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General is conducting an investigation of these activities. This mishandling, in the view of most people I know, particularly professional officers, is classified information. And we all look forward to the Inspector General's independent and unbiased finding.
And just hours ago, we learned of press reports that National Security Advisor Mike Waltz will be fired this week because of his own actions around the Signal incident. If true, I welcome the message of accountability that it sends.
Mr. Waltz made a significant mistake in adding a reporter to a sensitive Signal chat, and his failure could have had serious national security consequences. But I respect that he took responsibility for his mistake and paid the cost, apparently.
In contrast, Secretary Hegseth has refused to take responsibility for his own misconduct, which, in my view, was far more egregious than that of Mr. Waltz.
Indeed, the fallout from this incident has further eroded the already dismal credibility that the Secretary brought to the Pentagon. The Secretary's inner circle of handpicked advisers have nearly all resigned or been fired. His chief of staff was dismissed amid allegations of incompetence and unsettling personal behavior. Three of his senior policy advisers were fired for allegedly leaking sensitive information, which they all staunchly deny.
And his top spokesman resigned after losing confidence in the Secretary and writing ``[T]he building is in disarray under Hegseth's leadership'' and, furthermore ``The last month has been a full-blown meltdown at the Pentagon--and it's becoming a real problem for the administration.''
And these were the words of Secretary Hegseth's self-selected top spokesperson.
This chain of events is extraordinary and underscores the concerns I raised at Secretary Hegseth's nomination hearing. He does not possess the temperament and management skills needed to lead the Pentagon, and he is proving that over and over.
There have been multiple news reports that Secretary Hegseth spends much of his day focusing on perceived leaks and that he has become paranoid, lashing out at aides and senior military leaders, convinced that they are undermining him.
He has threatened his top military advisers, including then-acting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Grady and Joint Chiefs Director General Sims with polygraph tests in order to prove that these distinguished military leaders are not liars.
Knowing the quality and the dedication of these gentlemen to the military, and particularly to their obligation for honesty and fidelity, I find it unusual that they would be receiving the lie detector test.
The Secretary's office should be leading the Pentagon, allowing the rest of the Department to be laser-focused on the missions, but, again, President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have made that very difficult due to the internal disarray they have created by firing key military leaders.
These firings include the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Commander of Cyber Command, the U.S. Military Representative to NATO, the Vice Chair of the Air Force, the Secretary of Defense Senior Military Aide, and the top uniformed lawyers, or Judge Advocates General of each of the military services.
You know, one of the thoughts I had is if you want to go ahead and do things that are beyond the law, the first thing you do is get rid of the lawyers, and that is the first thing he did.
And these are not minor positions. They are vital to the Department's mission, and when left unfilled, the military loses focus and missions are compromised. These officers were fired without a plan to replace them, which is crippling our military's effectiveness during a perilous time.
More importantly, these officers were fired without explanation, which leads to the worst possible outcome for a military force: fear throughout the ranks that one should not speak up, should not refuse an illegal order, and should not call out abuse or question decisions.
General and flag officers are charged with providing their unbiased ``best military advice'' to the civilian leaders of the Department of Defense. Servicemembers, all the way down to young NCOs and enlisted personnel, are expected to give candid feedback to their leaders and peers, and commanders expect troops to give them the facts straight and true and their best advice because lives are on the line.
In fact, any good officer understands that his success and the success and, indeed, the lives of his troops are based so much on the advice, the insights of noncommissioned officers in his command.
And if that spirit, that aspect of military life in which people can talk the truth to each other is frustrated or essentially annulled, we are in a grave position.
Now, similarly, Congress expects candor from senior officers to provide their best judgment without fear of retribution, for both the security of our country and that of the 2 million service men and women who put themselves in harm's way.
But firing officers as a political litmus test poisons this military ethos. It sends an immediate signal to troops that providing their unbiased best military advice might have career-ending consequences.
Now, I will take a brief moment to discuss the officers who have been dismissed. GEN CQ Brown served as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and was fired without explanation, not even halfway into his 4- year term--the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to be dismissed during his term of office, and this stretches back many decades.
The Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was designed by Congress to be such that it bridged elections, that it was not tied into elections, that it was far from elections. But one of the first steps that Trump and Hegseth set was to break this custom, this tradition, really, this value.
When he was informed, he was visiting our troops on the southern border, and he was abruptly dismissed.
General Brown served our Nation honorably for more than four decades. He was a fighter pilot with multiple combat missions, and he led the Joint Chiefs of Staff with dedication and skill. By the way, the Senate approved his nomination by a vote of 83-11, not exactly a vote for a controversial personality. To date, the Trump administration has given no justification for his dismissal.
Seven full weeks passed without a confirmed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Gen. Dan Caine has now been confirmed and is working hard to get up to speed. Given what happened to his predecessor, General Caine must realize that in addition to his duties as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he must also deal with the political intrigue consuming the Pentagon.
I hope that General Caine will always provide the best military advice to the President and the Secretary of Defense, even if that advice is not what they would want to hear.
Secretary Hegseth also dismissed ADM Lisa Franchetti who served as the 33rd Chief of Naval Operations. She was the first woman to lead the Navy and the first to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Admiral Franchetti served in leadership roles at every level throughout the Navy, both on shore and at sea and with postings around the globe. She was a trailblazer, team builder, an inspiration to many.
The Senate approved her nomination by a vote of 95-1, a strong endorsement from this body, based on her record of service. Again, the Trump administration has given no justification for her dismissal.
To date, the administration has not nominated a new Chief of Naval Operations. It has been 2 months since Admiral Franchetti was dismissed, and the Navy remains without a Senate-confirmed Chief of Naval Operations at a time when the service is involved in the most intensive combat operation since World War II, taking place today in the Red Sea. I was able to greet a destroyer returning from the Red Sea and was informed that it had seen more action than any destroyer since World War II.
Gen. Timothy Haugh served as the Commander of U.S. Cyber Command and the director of the National Security Agency. As the commander of Cyber Command, General Haugh led the most formidable cyber warfighting force in the world, responsible for detecting, deterring, and overseeing cyber operations against America's adversaries, particularly China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and various terrorist organizations.
General Haugh had a distinguished 34-year career within Air Force cyber and intelligence organizations, including multiple command assignments. Indeed, I was impressed with not only his technical skill, but his professionalism, his commitment to serving the Nation, protecting the Constitution, and doing it with a skill which is remarkable.
I am extremely concerned that press reports indicate that Laura Loomer, a fringe conspiracy theorist convinced President Trump to dismiss General Haugh and fire a slew of expert staff at the National Security Council for no discernible reason.
Now, when a conspiracy theorist can get into the President's office and convince him to fire an officer of General Haugh's demonstrated capacity and others on the National Security Council, there is not only something wrong with that individual, there is something wrong with the President who is listening to them without consulting others.
By the way, the Senate unanimously confirmed General Haugh to his post in December 2023, and once again, the Trump administration has given no explanation for his dismissal.
The Trump administration has not selected a new CYBERCOM commander, and it is unclear if there is any sense of urgency to fill this position. Secretary Hegseth has given a priceless gift to China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, by purging from our leadership one of our most vital national security commanders.
VADM Shoshana Chatfield served as the U.S Military Representative to NATO, the first woman to hold this post. She held a vital leadership role within the alliance, particularly as it related to coordinating international support to Ukraine. Admiral Chatfield was among the finest military officers our Nation had to offer, with a 38-year career as a Navy helicopter pilot, foreign policy expert, and preeminent military educator, including as President of the Naval War College.
The Senate unanimously confirmed Vice Admiral Chatfield to her post in December 2023. Again, the Trump administration has given no justification for her dismissal and has not nominated any replacement to this critical posting at NATO.
Gen. James Slife was the U.S. Air Force Vice Chief of Staff, the second highest ranking officer in the Air Force. He spent most of his 36-year career as a special operations helicopter pilot, a daunting and dangerous pursuit. He deployed many times around the world and flew countless combat missions in perilous conditions.
General Slife risked his life repeatedly for our Nation and led his fellow special operators and airmen with distinction. Again, the Senate unanimously confirmed General Slife to his post in December of 2023. The Trump administration has given no explanation for his dismissal, nor have they nominated any officer to help lead the Air Force.
Lt. Gen. Jennifer Short was the first female senior military assistant to the Secretary of Defense. She advised the Secretary and served as a representative for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, coordinating policy and operations across the Joint Staff, combatant commands, and with the U.S. interagency. A command pilot with more than 1,800 flight hours, including more than 430 combat hours in an A-10, she flew in Operations Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom and commanded airmen at the squadron, wing, major command, and combatant command levels.
The Senate unanimously confirmed her to her post. The Trump administration has given no explanation for her dismissal.
Finally, I am deeply concerned by Secretary Hegseth's dismissal of the Judge Advocates General of the military services. These officers, known as TJAGs, are the most senior uniformed officers in the military. These officers each served more than 30 years in uniform as military lawyers. They were strictly apolitical and held fundamental roles ensuring that balanced, legal counsel was part of every military policy discussion. These officers provided legal oversight that spanned military justice, operational law, administrative compliance, government ethics, and U.S. adherence to the law of armed conflict.
These unprecedented firings, along with the firings of the inspectors general, should alarm everyone about the commitment of the President and the Secretary of Defense to follow the rule of law for the military and also within the United States and across the world.
The Defense Department is one of the most complex institutions in the world, with a budget of nearly $900 billion and a workforce of nearly 3 million military and civilian personnel. It is an organization that requires strong leadership, stability, predictability, and trust. These qualities are critical because we ask the Department's men and women to risk their lives every day in the service of this country.
Those men and women who gave their lives and all of those who are still serving at this moment deserve the best. They deserve a leader who is truly laser-focused on readiness, lethality, and the mission, not someone who treats his position as Secretary as a performative exercise complete with a Twitter feed dominated with workout videos. Our servicemembers deserve better. They deserve someone who is focused on them, not focused on himself.
If Secretary Hegseth does not improve his job performance, the conditions at the Pentagon will continue to deteriorate, and something worse is bound to happen.
I hope Secretary Hegseth takes note.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source