Column: Pentagon leadership is undermining the military’s strengths – Daily Press - EUROPE SAYS
For more than half my life, I have been fortunate to work alongside those in uniform. During my time in Hampton Roads, I was honored to support the men and women committed to putting their lives on the line. . .
For more than half my life, I have been fortunate to work alongside those in uniform. During my time in Hampton Roads, I was honored to support the men and women committed to putting their lives on the line in defense of our nation. As our military service members are once again being placed in harm’s way amid uncertain objectives, I continue to have faith in the chain of command. Yet evidence is mounting that leadership practices at the top of the Pentagon are creating increasing strain on the military culture that has long sustained it — one built on integrity, trust, competence and honest debate. Declining morale among the civilian workforce, controversial personnel decisions and concerns about political influence under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth show how leadership climate can affect an institution that depends on professional judgment. When ideological conformity is mistaken for competence, even great institutions can begin to weaken from within. During most of my career, I served under exceptional military and civilian leaders, both men and women, who understood that sound decisions depend on clear, fact-based assessments from across an organization. They sought expertise, challenged assumptions and welcomed difficult truths. They also recognized that disagreement was not disloyalty but was often essential to making sound decisions. However, there were also times when I experienced the effects of poor leaders who prioritized personal ambition over the organization, failed to appreciate the strength of their staff’s collective expertise and perspectives, and often discounted or dismissed the contributions of those they viewed as less valuable — never realizing the team’s full potential. Poor leadership did not prevent a dedicated staff from accomplishing the mission. But the process became more difficult. People became cautious about speaking openly, offering alternative perspectives or raising concerns. Critical thinking suffered because energy was spent navigating a toxic work environment rather than solving problems. Watching Hegseth reshape the Department of Defense brings back that same alarming familiarity. His pattern of poor leadership stretches from his mismanagement of veteran nonprofits to his current purging of military leaders. His efforts to eliminate “wokeness” while promoting a narrow, machismo-over-substance vision of masculinity have become a justification for dismissing those with diverse experiences and viewpoints, as well as devaluing contributions of women and minorities. Moreover, by elevating partisan alignment over competence, he behaves less like a guardian of national security and more like a political enforcer undermining one of the military’s greatest strengths: the diverse skills and talents of people from every background united by a common mission. The long-term consequences are predictable: innovation declines, groupthink develops, morale deteriorates, and leaders risk making poor decisions based on less dependable information. A military facing complex threats cannot afford a culture of blind conformity where bad leadership erodes the qualities that make it exceptional. Over time, those effects can create strategic blind spots and reduce the ability to respond to change. The current state of leadership at the Pentagon also raises serious questions about the future of the institution itself — questions about what loyalty means, whether leaders will continue to speak difficult truths when it matters most, and how much stress a culture of integrity and trust can withstand before being irreparably damaged. The military does not need leaders surrounded by constant agreement and unquestioned consent. It needs leaders with the confidence to prioritize principled judgment over political posturing, value merit rather than identity or ideology, and seek to understand disagreement without viewing it as disloyalty. That is what will keep the military strong. And in these dangerous times, our nation needs a Pentagon and a secretary capable of upholding these standards. Hank Eacho of Norfolk is a retired Department of Defense federal employee with more than 35 years of service in Washington, D. C. and Hampton Roads, including leadership roles at HQ Marine Corps and U. S. Fleet Forces Command, where he focused on strategy development, regulatory compliance and public policy.