“We’ve Never Been Weaker”

The U.S. Army has no Senate-confirmed chief of staff. Four-star generals on active duty have dropped from ten to five—the fewest in decades. And the man who was arguably the most respected general in the military, Army Chief of Staff Randy George, was fired in April after launching an investigation into an Apache helicopter flyover of Kid Rock’s mansion.

That investigation is now at the center of a Washington Post exclusive. Days before Hegseth fired George, another officer—General Chris Leneve, who is now vying for George’s job—reportedly told George directly that Hegseth did not want the probe to proceed. Two other sources said George told colleagues about the encounter and seemed “very troubled” by it. Leneve is now working with Hegseth to gut the cutting-edge drone program George pioneered, which learned lessons from Ukraine, in favor of what the episode calls a “back to the basics” approach focused on a “warrior ethos fueled by testosterone and not with technology.”

The episode frames this as part of a broader pattern: the Trump administration is systematically hollowing out military leadership, weakening readiness, and creating conditions for war crimes and strategic vulnerability.

Conscientious Objectors at a 25-Year High