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Pete Hegseth could soon become the scapegoat for Trump’s failed war Image: Kevin Wolf /AP/TT
🇸🇪 Sweden /Conflict & Security

Pete Hegseth could soon become the scapegoat for Trump’s failed war

From Dagens Nyheter · () Swedish

Translated from Swedish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Opinion Named sources Ongoing story
  • Commentary writer Ingmar Nevéus says Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has removed subordinates he considers disloyal and is now pushing out the Army’s top civilian official.
  • The piece blames President Donald Trump for an ill-considered war with Iran and argues Hegseth could eventually absorb responsibility for its failures.
  • It links the military shake-up to disagreements over depleted Patriot missile supplies and the need to counter cheap drones.

Pete Hegseth is acting like a “mini-Trump,” removing officials he sees as disloyal while the United States struggles with what Dagens Nyheter commentator Ingmar Nevéus calls a failed war against Iran.

The commentary places responsibility for the conflict on President Donald Trump, saying it has caused thousands of deaths, damaged the United States’ reputation and pushed up oil prices and inflation worldwide. It says several senior figures, including Vice President JD Vance, doubted the policy when the campaign began in February. Hegseth, by contrast, consistently supported Trump and used even more aggressive and unpredictable war rhetoric.

mini-Trump

— Ingmar NevéusThe commentator uses the phrase to characterize Hegseth’s conduct and alleged purges of officials viewed as disloyal.

The defense secretary has also pursued what the commentary describes as purges across the armed forces. Female and African American generals were among those removed, amid Hegseth’s claims that they had been selected through quotas and were not sufficiently “lethal.” The article says his sensitivity to criticism has affected the Army’s senior leadership as well.

lethal

— Pete HegsethThe commentary says Hegseth questioned whether some female and African American generals were sufficiently effective, using this term.

According to the piece, U.S. media reported that Hegseth disliked hearing bad news from generals, including warnings that Patriot missile stocks were running low after Iranian attacks on U.S. bases and allied countries in the Middle East. The Army also needed upgrades to defend against cheap drones, an area in which Iran was described as highly capable.

Army Chief General Randy George reportedly conveyed those concerns to Hegseth until he was dismissed in April without an explanation. Three close aides also left. On Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Army Secretary Dan Driscoll was resigning. Nevéus argues that if Trump refuses to accept the resignation, it would send a strong signal against Hegseth. He also says Trump could eventually dismiss his “war secretary” and shift blame for a war that cannot be won.

war secretary

— Ingmar NevéusThe phrase describes the possibility that Trump could dismiss Hegseth and shift responsibility for the Iran war onto him.
About this summary

Originally published by Dagens Nyheter in Swedish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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