As Trump’s War in Iran causes unprecedented global volatility, revealing significant weaknesses in our military, the President and his Secretary of War can’t seem to stop playing the politics of prejudice. A year ago, without explanation, Hegseth fired the first ever female Chief of Naval Operations and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a Black man. The latter was an F-16 pilot who once said in a recruitment commercial: “When I’m flying…You don’t know…whether I’m African American…You just know I’m an American Airman, kicking your butt.” Turns out when he wasn’t flying his boss figured out his race and kicked him off his post. Now, just last week, it came out that Hegseth blocked the promotion of four Army officers–two Black men and two women–who were on track to become one-star generals, proving once and for all that their "anti-woke" posturing is little more than a thinly-veiled and targeted culture war. These racist, sexist, superficial “leaders” gotta go.
The war against wokeness is morally and strategically wrong, distracting us all from real missions. Instead of swiftly ending an ill-defined, illegal, indefinite war with Iran (that is not going well, to say the least) or addressing an ongoing manpower shortage, Hegseth went out of his way to unilaterally stop the advancement of four diverse officers with long careers of “exemplary service,” despite questionable legal authority to do so and against the counsel of the Secretary of the Army. Allegations of racial and gender bias are apropos, but it’s also just plain stupid. Roughly 43% of active duty troops are people of color while their leadership is overwhelmingly white, and women are leaving the military at a rate 28% higher than men. At a time when the military could use all the talent it can get, why is Hegseth keeping competent leaders from leading and disqualifying and disenfranchising over half the talent pool?
Perhaps white men are assumed to be likelier Trump-loyalists, but another answer is embarrassingly pathetic: aesthetics. Trump has frequently mused that the troops should look like they are from "central casting,” refusing to stand next to a Black female officer for this reason, endorsing fat shaming, and even saying he didn’t “want any wounded guys” in his birthday party parade because it wouldn’t “look good.” No wonder he’s treating war like it’s a spectacle of entertainment–he is less concerned with military effectiveness than he is with its image. Perhaps Trump and Hegseth’s combat fantasies will only be realized once the ranks resemble G.I. Joe action figures: white, traditionally masculine, and–like dolls–ideologically neutral and compliant. Women, people of color, and potential dissenters need not apply.
I got selected in 2024 to advance to Lieutenant Commander, which was fortunate timing. Despite being a decorated aviator, I was still a queer woman who, while active duty, had gone to and graduated law school in my free time, further equipping me to identify and challenge any unconstitutional orders; I probably wouldn’t have lasted much longer if Hegseth caught wind. To that end, Admiral Alvin Holsey, a Black officer who dared to question the legality of the boat strikes in the Caribbean, was pushed out by Hegseth. I served with Admiral Holsey, flew in his air wing, was inspired by his leadership then, and still am, but it seems Hegseth would prefer a white man with a criminal record over a qualified leader with integrity. To a regime fueled by lies, integrity is a dangerous liability.
Meanwhile, social media’s Jessica Foster, the AI-generated U.S. Army dream girl, reveals how MAGA vanguard likes their women: white, petite, perpetually posing for their pleasure and posting propaganda, and not actually in the military. Foster wears non-regulation mini-skirts and high heels, puts her feet on desks, and directs followers to her OnlyFans–transgressions likely to result in disciplinary action for a real soldier. Nevertheless, perhaps because this fake woman satisfies the cosmetic cravings of the MAGA movement and doesn’t talk back, she is thanked for her service and for championing the Trump cause.
While distraction abounds, bigots are building a force that presents more and more like the klan. Trump appointed Hegseth–an accused sex offender who railed against women in combat roles and referred to someone who choked a Black man to death as “an American hero”–to be our Secretary of War. Accordingly, Hegseth issued orders to “go light” on celebrating the end of slavery, removed Black, Latino, and female memorials from the Arlington National Cemetery website, and invited white Christian nationalist Doug Wilson, who believes women shouldn’t have the right to vote, to preach to the troops. They are peddling the Great Replacement Theory and overhauling military personnel policies in a blatantly discriminatory way.
To attempt to justify their actions, they hide under a banner of restoring merit and lethality. White House Press Secretary Leavitt even said—with the credibility of AI slop—that Hegseth is “doing a tremendous job restoring meritocracy throughout the ranks…as President Trump directed…” This is profoundly ironic, as the Pentagon just raised the enlistment age to 42 and eased restrictions on past marijuana convictions. There is nothing inherently wrong with letting some old stoners serve their country, but it is audacious to boast about merit and lethality while hiring 41-year-old recruits with drug waivers and firing seasoned commanders with decades of experience. If Trump and Hegseth were ever fooling anyone, the jig is up.
As we wade deeper into war, a gang of sociopaths is sabotaging our national security, but we can stop them. We can call out chauvinism when we see it, insist offenders answer for it, and contact our reps, demanding investigations, impeachments, and increased transparency and accountability from the Pentagon. Plus, while this regime desperately tries to control the narrative and even criminalize reporters who ask “unauthorized” questions, there’s never been a better time to support journalism. Stay curious and keep reading the news. It will be harder for Trump and Hegseth to turn the world’s most professional fighting force into political muscle if we’re all watching.Julie Roland was a Naval Officer for ten years, deploying to both the South China Sea and the Persian Gulf as a helicopter pilot before separating in June 2025 as a Lieutenant Commander. She has a law degree from the University of San Diego, a Master of Laws from Columbia University, and is a member of the Truman National Security Project.
