Time to Impeach Hegseth

Guest Opinion

By Willie Jones, Jr. | Nov. 14, 2026

Secretary Pete Hegseth has done more damage to the United States military than our enemies could ever imagine being able to do. He is grossly incompetent and woefully unqualified to be Defense Secretary.

Hegseth’s resume pales in comparison with other Secretaries of Defense, especially the one he replaced, Lloyd Austin. He has little leadership ability and no managerial skills. Good leaders are first in and last out. They lead by example and are an inspiration to all.

Secretary Hegseth replaced, relieved of duty, or fired several high-ranking flag-staff personnel without cause. All of them were highly qualified for the position they held and were highly decorated top performers.

Secretary Hegseth fired General Charles Q. Brown Jr. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General CQ Brown was a Command pilot with over 3,100 flying hours. He has 130 combat hours while primarily flying in the F-16 fighting Falcon. According to BBC News and PBS News, Secretary Hegseth fired General CQ Brown because he was “woke” and his involvement in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the military. The New York Times reported Hegseth questioned whether General CQ Brown Jr. attained his high-ranking military position based on his skill or his race.

Pete Hegseth asserted it in his book The War on Warriors. He explicitly wrote, “Was it because of his skin color? Or his skill? We’ll never know, but always doubt—which on its face seems unfair to CQ. But since he has made the race card one of his biggest calling cards, it doesn’t really much matter.”

General CQ Brown met all prerequisites to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. His replacement did not. President Trump selected retired Lieutenant General Dan Caine to replace General Charles Q. Brown Jr as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. According to AP News, Retired Lt. General Dan Caine did not meet the position’s guidelines: He was not a service commander, a combatant commander, or a general. The president had to recall him to active duty and promote to four-star general. The president also had to waive all prerequisites General Caine did not meet for Senate confirmation.

Secretary Hegseth asked Army Chief of Staff General Randy George to step down from his position and retire immediately in April 2026. General George was a combat veteran of the Gulf War, Iraq War, and Afghanistan War. He was an infantry officer and a Ranger. ABC News stated there was friction between the Secretary and the General over removal of women and minority candidates from the promotion list to Brigadier General and the lack of disciplinary actions over the Kid Rock flyover incident.

(The flyover was reckless and unprofessional. Flying over a civilian populated area puts lives in danger and is a gross misuse of military equipment. The incident should have been thoroughly investigated, and an after-action report prepared with appropriate disciplinary action recommendations.)

According to BBC News, Secretary Hegseth is purging the military of exceptional leadership. He is removing experienced high-ranking officers who questioned his leadership and decisions. In addition to firing Generals CQ Brown and Randy George, Secretary Hegseth relieved Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Chief of Naval Operations. She was the only four-star female flag officer in the United States military. General David Hodne, formerly the commanding general of United States Army Transformation and Training Command, was a combat Ranger and Purple Heart recipient. He was also asked by Hegseth to retire. Secretary Hegseth confirmed the changes were made to install new leadership focused on core warfighting priorities.

I think these actions are adversely affecting the United States Armed Forces strength and readiness. Secretary Hegseth is denying our service men and women the competent and experienced leadership they deserve. These patriots served with honor and distinction. They fulfilled every requirement to assume command of their new position.

According to NPR, Secretary Hegseth blocked several flag officer promotions of deserving women and Black service members. During an interview on MSNow, Retired Lt General Mark Hertling stated our military promotion system is a meritocracy. A board of lower-ranking and higher-ranking flag-staff officers review the records of those eligible for promotion. A small percentage of qualified members are selected for promotion on merit. What Secretary Hegseth is doing is politicalization of the promotion system. His decisions were personally based on who the candidate knew, worked with, or what they said in the past.

Secretary Hegseth said in the State of the Forces address “Diversity is not our strength. Unity is our strength.” If unity is our strength, that would mean we, all races and genders, must unify as one. Sounds like diversity to me. President Truman signed Executive Order 9981 in July 1948, integrating the Armed Forces. Diversity is our strength and we are stronger together as a nation.

Pete Hegseth does not have the aptitude, temperament, or experience to manage the Defense Department. He should be impeached and removed as Secretary of Defense.

Willie Jones, Jr. is an Air Force veteran, retired after 25 years of active duty, and a pencil artist specializing in aviation art and portraits.