Sec. of War: Pentagon Now Led by Warriors, Not Washington Bureaucrats

It warms an old soldier's heart to see a secretary of war - no more shilly-shallying around with this "Secretary of Defense" horse squeeze - who bears fresh in his mind what it's like to be deployed. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth comports himself as though he still has dust on his boots and blood in his eye, and that's never been more apparent than in Tuesday's testimony of the War Department to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Here are some key points from that testimony. In the first, Secretary Hegseth assures the Committee that the Pentagon has seen a long-overdue change of leadership and leadership philosophy.

.@SECWAR "Under President Trump, we have built a different type of department.

The Pentagon is no longer run by bureaucrats.

Instead, it’s led by combat-tested veterans and world-class business leaders who are running the department like a business." pic.twitter.com/Qa5m3OKobY
— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) July 21, 2026

Secretary Hegseth (SECWAR) said:

Under President Trump, we have built a different type of department. The Pentagon is no longer run by bureaucrats. Instead, it's run by combat-tested veterans and world-class business leaders, who are running the department like a business. And tech titans, who are bringing lethal innovation to the battlefield. We're also at a different moment, and we cannot afford inaction. If we don't make critical investments right now, in tech, in compute, in AI, in autonomy, in space, our adversaries, who are already making these types of investments, could outpace us. Without these funds, we face critical shortfalls that threaten our ability to also simply pay our service members, rapidly replenish equipment and munitions, and sustain vital operations without disruption.

We are accustomed to looking at any government staffer with skepticism when he or she mentions "investment." But in this context, when it's the Secretary of War speaking, we are reminded that he actually has a constitutional duty to uphold: Protecting the liberty and property of Americans.

Next, on Iran:

.@SECWAR “Iran is at the WEAKEST POINT MILITARILY it has ever been in...

I acknowledge they still have capabilities, no doubt, but the amount of damage that we have done to them over the course of these series of operations has put them in the WORST PLACE THEY’VE EVER BEEN.” pic.twitter.com/mLr1AeHuzb
— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) July 21, 2026

SECWAR continues:

Iran is in the weakest point, militarily, that it has ever been in, in the past decade. Certainly, maybe in 47 years, as they've gathered, effectively, a terror army. And that terror army was built to try to create conventional capability to defend... a pursuit of nuclear weapons. Which meant thousands of ballistic missiles. Many of which we have destroyed. Others in which they have put inside facilities and hidden in underground facilities as what terror regimes would do. So, I acknowledge that they still have capabilities. No doubt. But the amount of damage that we've done to them over the course of these series of operations has put them in the worst place they've ever been.

We've hit them hard, certainly, but as Secretary Hegseth points out, the job just plain ain't over yet.

Report: President Trump Orders CENTCOM to 'Rain Hell' on IRGC After US Service Members Killed

Finally, SECWAR takes a well-deserved swipe at his predecessor:

.@SECWAR "I don’t know what Lloyd Austin did for four years. I really don’t.

The amount of neglect, the amount of stale thinking, and bureaucracy—it was staggering when we took over.” pic.twitter.com/hACcD4Efdf
— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) July 21, 2026

I mean, the Biden administration ignored hypersonics. They just decided to pretend that technology didn't exist, and we shouldn't invest in it. There are things... I don't know what Lloyd Austin did for four years. I really don't. The amount of neglect, stale thinking, and bureaucracy, it was staggering when we took over.

Note that somebody off-camera, presumably a Democrat on the committee, kept trying to interrupt SECWAR, but he just plain wasn't having it. He rolled over their objections like an M1 tank and made his point.

Code Pink and some of the other usual leftist suspects were in evidence, too, but they likely had little luck. They aren't dealing with Joe Biden's low-T appointees any longer.

You can watch the entire hearing here.

Editor's Note: Thanks to President Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth's leadership, the warrior ethos is coming back to America's military.

Help us report on Trump and Hegseth's successes as they make our military great again. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.