The Hill reported on Oct. 7 that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s “my way or the highway” message to hundreds of generals and admirals at Quantico Marine Base last week has sparked fears that some top leaders may choose to bow out of the U.S. military entirely. “His speech directly attacked the values of many of the senior officers and enlisted members in the audience, and I would expect many of them to demonstrate their disgust by retiring,” Don Christensen, a retired Air Force colonel and former military lawyer who watched the speech, said of Hegseth.
Indeed, two senior officers quit last week further inflaming those fears. Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas Bussiere announced his retirement last week after the White House withdrew his nomination to be Air Force Vice Chief of Staff. Gen. Bryan Fenton, head of U.S. Special Operations Command, also announced his retirement, but after three years on the job with the Pentagon, it had nothing to do with Hegseth’s speech.
