The Trump Presidency 2.0

I didn't see near all of it - or even most of it - just a few meme worthy lines from SECWAR. I can't help but "hope" that there is a "classified" version of that discussion going on right this moment that affords the SECWAR with the opportunity to put out the "real" content that warranted this dumpster fire.

Otherwise, I'm going to need an Imodium AD once the memes wear off


I have to ask, what would a Staff Sergeant or O3 have learned if they'd watched the entire event ??

The Hegseth speech seemed to be mostly bluster and an opportunity for him to flex his position; I want to know how many times he watched Patton to prep for it.

He so desperately wanted applause afterwards.


That said, I know some people were super into it, and I understand why; getting back to "warriors" sounds awesome.

There were roughly a dozen memos published after this event that relate to the topics, so I gotta read those first, because it's become a pattern of the SECWAR saying something but the memos being different from the speech. I bet there's more I'll agree with than not.
 
The Hegseth speech seemed to be mostly bluster
I disagree. I listened to the speech and I think he addressed what needed to be addressed. It was about restoring order. I'd think that most of the people in that room agree with him and appreciated hearing that the administration has their back. Some might think its regressive, but change isn't always good or necessary.
 
I disagree. I listened to the speech and I think he addressed what needed to be addressed. It was about restoring order. I'd think that most of the people in that room agree with him and appreciated hearing that the administration has their back. Some might think its regressive, but change isn't always good or necessary.

Fair take. I'll say that I'm separating what I perceive to be bluster (his delivery style) from the actual intended endstate of the speech/memos. I dont disagree with the message, but his way of talking just reminds me of every failing PL/CO I've had.
 
The Hegseth speech seemed to be mostly bluster and an opportunity for him to flex his position; I want to know how many times he watched Patton to prep for it.

He so desperately wanted applause afterwards.


That said, I know some people were super into it, and I understand why; getting back to "warriors" sounds awesome.

There were roughly a dozen memos published after this event that relate to the topics, so I gotta read those first, because it's become a pattern of the SECWAR saying something but the memos being different from the speech. I bet there's more I'll agree with than not.
I think the speech did exactly what it was supposed to, and I'm OK with almost everything he said. Much of it, like broken windows leadership, toxic leadership, DIME and DEI. It's almost like his speechwriter reads my blog.
 
I think the speech did exactly what it was supposed to, and I'm OK with almost everything he said. Much of it, like broken windows leadership, toxic leadership, DIME and DEI. It's almost like his speechwriter reads my blog.
I'm technically not but but not at all concerned with being called a boomer. I think we need shark attacks and "hands on" leadership in basic training. I think we need to look sharp and clean- cut in uniform. I'm good with GI parties in the barracks. One thing he mentioned that I especially appreciated was cutting out ridiculous mandatory training and letting NCOs and Officers train their soldiers. Also, I think everyone needs to meet the same fitness standards, especially in combat arms. There wasn't one talking point I disageed with. Lastly, I agree with his take that WE are different from society so social norms don't always apply to us.
 
The speech was a classic "this could have been an email" moment. Great message, too theatrical, I hope they accomplished more than sitting in that auditorium for a few hours. It introduced very little beyond earlier sound bites and interviews.

Staring at the camera and saying FAFO? Cringe.
 
The speech was a classic "this could have been an email" moment. Great message, too theatrical, I hope they accomplished more than sitting in that auditorium for a few hours. It introduced very little beyond earlier sound bites and interviews.

Staring at the camera and saying FAFO? Cringe.
Hopefully they had productive discussions and shared a beer afterwards. As a Sr NCO, I would appreciate hearing it straight from the boss' piehole because fuck email directives.

Agree the FAFO comment was too much. It wouldn't have been as cringe if he just said it without looking straight into the camera.
 
Man, you guys don't like a good "come to Jesus" talk? For a group of people who tend to agree that the entire DoD needs a pulse check, it seems like we don't like this pulse check.

What if (and this is gonna be crazy) that was *the exact same speech every commander has given to every squadron, unit, section, fire team or individual* when they have issues in the formation, literally since the beginning of time? I have gotten that same speech. I have given that same speech. At like, 5 different levels.

At the end of every stupid, large gathering, for 22 years, I was asked to sing the Air Force Song to end that ceremony. Literally, a group of grown special operators that have killed people, half-ass singing a song about our branch for... reasons. The entire military is cringey, stop pretending like this was anything other than a boiler plate rank-and-file meeting. The only reason we are talking about it is because we saw this one; half the population wants to defend Pete cause Muh Conservatism and the other half want to hate him cause Muh Progress.


I don't care if an applause line didn't hit. I don't care that it costs money to bring all these grifters together. It would have been less if they didn't bring their assistants and staff and fluffers, and it would have been zero had that room of generals always been doing their jobs and followed the existing policies. But they didn't so the email wasn't gonna work.

The optics of Pete standing up in front of generals and shaming them, telling them to get on board, plays very well to one population of people and very poorly to the other.

The young kids/men- loved it. A young, fit SECDEF publicly shaming the generals who have owned every single shitty policy position in the last 20 years is right up their alley. It's why recruiting is doing well and climbing. Notably, female enlistments are up 12.5% this year... not too bad for an org run by a misogynist. I digress.

The people that didn't like it were never going to, because they don't like the Fox News Host (regardless of output or good deeds) because he was hired by literally Hitler- it's why vets of like 20 years of service will completely ignore the message and instead talk about the man saying the message.
 
God I love this timeline. Here is how the left astroturfs issues and uses the MSM to weaponize government to target conservatives.

  • The Southern Poverty Law Center (named to make you think it's some grassroots Dem charity when really it's an activist group with a $900M endownment, most of it held in the Cayman Islands) writes a hit piece alleging extremism
  • They don't need to source the documents or the name sources; they write the piece and make the allegations
  • The piece gets sent to the complicit left in govt
  • The piece itself is used to start an investigation (like what the SPLC did to conservative Christians)
  • The SPLC then can continue the hit pieces because the FBI has an investigation
  • The piece itself and the investigation are self-licking ice cream cones, funded by liberals
  • Wash, rinse, repeat
Look how Axios covered it. They don't mention that the SPLC work on the FRC and the resultant mass shooting that was thwarted in 2012; the SPLC directly supported and incited that attack.

This article gets closer to the reality of the matter.
 
At the end of every stupid, large gathering, for 22 years, I was asked to sing the Air Force Song to end that ceremony. Literally, a group of grown special operators that have killed people, half-ass singing a song about our branch for... reasons.

Well that's the problem! The Air Force was applying the buff wrong!

You gotta sing Wild Blue Yonder before going into the fight, as it gives +2 to your athletics, acrobatics, and perceptions stat; +5 if sung in a group of 10 or more.
 
Well that's the problem! The Air Force was applying the buff wrong!

You gotta sing Wild Blue Yonder before going into the fight, as it gives +2 to your athletics, acrobatics, and perceptions stat; +5 if sung in a group of 10 or more.
some Bardic Inspiration right there. 5E D&D for the win. +1d6 to you.
 
I've read through all the memos. I'd say 70/30 things I agree with vs. things I'd be concerned about; those concerns are purely about "how" implementation will occur/2nd and 3rd order effects, not the desired outcome.
Very few I disagree with (I.E. grooming).

I'll post my thoughts on each later this weekend in the recruitment/retention thread, as a way to seperate policy opinion from political opinion a bit.
 
Well that's the problem! The Air Force was applying the buff wrong!

You gotta sing Wild Blue Yonder before going into the fight, as it gives +2 to your athletics, acrobatics, and perceptions stat; +5 if sung in a group of 10 or more.

When I was at the 'ol Clown College, whenever AF formed for PT on their own and went "Air Powerrr" on fall in, it was funny as shit.
 
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