Commanders are dropping like flies this year

[Lord Ratner]

7 hours ago, disgruntledemployee said:

It's called YouTube.  Since the show was broadcast all over Earth, live streaming is easy.

As for the content, I now christen the SoW, Pete "Mr Potato Head" Hesgeth, in honor of the "Groooooomin Standand"

As for reception, I'm sure Pete wanted to end with a mike drop, but instead he could hear a pin drop.  So it really was like talking to some TV screens.  

 

I know, I know, it's your username, if you weren't miserable about literally everything in the world, what else would you do? 

 

But it's pretty amazing to see people defending the *generals* against the first secdef in my lifetime that is telling them they have to live by the same standards they enforce. 

 

[17D_guy]

3 hours ago, O Face said:

So the shipping of a few hundred generals to DC is what finally drove the liberals to financial responsibility??  C’mon!  You all have to be able to step back here and realize your hatred may be clouding your judgement just a bit, right?  If you listened to Hegseth’s speech, what is it you are upset about?  I’m willing to bet the common sense he espoused was exactly something you muttered a thousand times during your career…”Fitness tests should be standard, opportunities should be based on merit, how is that guy still in uniform, he’s super fat, etc, stopping the weaponization of the IG process, focusing on war fighting instead of fighting for social justice. This is the shit we all were pleading for my entire career and this is the first Secretary to even bring it to light. I’m retired now and wish I had heard this kind of direction once during my career, I hope the generals in attendance are bold enough to take the charge. Had we not spent the past few decades litigating ourselves into irrelevance, and fighting our greatest threat - climate change and white supremacy perhaps the gathering would’ve been fine as an email.  Unfortunately however, I’d think you would all agree that this is an extremely large departure from years past and it might be better received coming from the horse’s mouth. 

From the dudes that bitched about Obama's golfing costing tax payers money yet silent now. GG. 

[Lord Ratner]

11 minutes ago, 17D_guy said:

From the dudes that bitched about Obama's golfing costing tax payers money yet silent now. GG. 

Where? Which dudes? Be specific. Did any of the people who are interacting with you now say that? I certainly didn't. O Face has never used the word "golf" on this forum

 

Also are you equating a game of golf to a commander's call? Are those on the same level of national importance? 

 

You have an obnoxious habit of lumping together everything that's ever been said on Fox News as some sort of proxy for what the real individuals here are saying specifically. Why do you come here if not to directly interact with us? Is this just some outlet for you to howl at the moon? 

 

There are legitimately interesting conversations that happen on this forum, and on this topic, but all you can respond with is a whataboutism that none of the people talking to you at the moment actually said?

[brabus]

There are probably tens of millions a year spent on useless TDYs/PCSs. Cue every person who goes to in-person PME, every bullshit “TDY for the boys” (but they are fun as shit!), every guy who travels to unending conferences and meetings while not providing, nor consuming, anything of value to their job and other attendees.  We have endured a significant identity/priorities crisis for years in the DoD, and unfucking that is critical enough to not just throw it on YouTube or a TEAMs call (where nobody will actually listen/receive anything - they’ll be “present” with their muted mic symbol). Complaining about one TDY out of tons each of these GOs are doing yearly is lazy, political hacking on display. Attack the argument/point SECDEF is driving home, but you can’t, because it’s the most logical direction one has given in my lifetime. So, you jump to a retarded Red Herring argument of “but mAh TdY CoStS!” Hilarious, and sad at the same time.

[O Face]

2 hours ago, 17D_guy said:

From the dudes that bitched about Obama's golfing costing tax payers money yet silent now. GG. 

Obama golfed?  Guarantee he used the red tee box. 

[Bigred]

On 10/1/2025 at 6:53 PM, dream big said:

You’ve led people before I’m sure. You are about to roll out a massive change in your organization’s culture and direction. For argument’s sake let’s say most of your minions are geographically separated. You’re saying you would do it over email? 

How massive of a change is it that he wants to increase lethality? Clamps down on fitness and appearance?

Those aren’t massive culture changes. Those are getting back to the roots of what the military is. I’ve been screaming it for years, the military isn’t a business, it’s a military. I for one applaud the announcements.

 

[Banzai]

19 hours ago, brabus said:

There are probably tens of millions a year spent on useless TDYs/PCSs. Cue every person who goes to in-person PME, every bullshit “TDY for the boys” (but they are fun as shit!), every guy who travels to unending conferences and meetings while not providing, nor consuming, anything of value to their job and other attendees.  We have endured a significant identity/priorities crisis for years in the DoD, and uning that is critical enough to not just throw it on YouTube or a TEAMs call (where nobody will actually listen/receive anything - they’ll be “present” with their muted mic symbol). Complaining about one TDY out of tons each of these GOs are doing yearly is lazy, political hacking on display. Attack the argument/point SECDEF is driving home, but you can’t, because it’s the most logical direction one has given in my lifetime. So, you jump to a retarded Red Herring argument of “but mAh TdY CoStS!” Hilarious, and sad at the same time.

Ironically this response is a masterclass in fallacies. Whataboutism (“others waste money too”), false equivalence (comparing a mass GO recall for every senior leader to routine TDYs), red herring (ranting about DoD identity when the question was whether the TDY was justified), ad hominem (calling folks political hacks, retarded), and a false dilemma (“either in person or useless Teams call”). Nice work dudes!

[McJay Pilot]

• I think... we all think... the bag all call was a nice idea.
• [mumbled agreement among others]
• But... I'm not pointin' any fingers... they coulda been done better. So, how 'bout... no bags all call this time. But next time, we do the bags all call right and then we go full regalia.

[brabus]

3 hours ago, Banzai said:

Ironically this response is a masterclass in fallacies. Whataboutism (“others waste money too”), false equivalence (comparing a mass GO recall for every senior leader to routine TDYs), red herring (ranting about DoD identity when the question was whether the TDY was justified), ad hominem (calling folks political hacks, retarded), and a false dilemma (“either in person or useless Teams call”). Nice work dudes!

- It’s one TDY added to a list of many. Bottom line, why are you against a TDY added amongst a sea of executed/scheduled TDYs?

It’s not whataboutism to state a fact that a large portion of the military adds TDYs throughout the year. If you want to argue about justification or perceived importance/utility of any TDY, then you are very inexperienced in the military/have no idea how the gov operates with regards to in-person vs. virtual application. Example: I’ve spent many TDYs watching GOs (also TDY) sit there and stare at their eyelids/the wall for days, while adding nothing to the situation and based on their reactions, taking nothing home with them. Welcome to the real world. (Experience I’m coming from: over 100 TDYs at tac/op/strat levels).

- The boss is pushing a massive cultural shift, that has seen some resistance, and he’s sick of the resistance. Do you believe something of that high of priority to him does not warrant in-person interaction?

Some comments above can be boiled down to, “this isn’t a big deal and therefore could have been an email/TEAMs call.” Do you believe from the boss’s perspective this “isn’t that big of a deal” and an email/TEAMs call is all he needs to do to get this train on the right track? People are bringing up “justification” of TDY, citing the topic as “not justifiable” for a TDY. They brought that up, it is not a red herring to discuss what they previously stated.

- Some literally said it could have been a virtual discussion (email, TEAMs, YouTube, etc.)  Is there a third option besides one of those or in-person? Because if there’s not (I can’t think of one), it can’t be a false dilemma because it is literally a dilemma (boss had to ask himself, “do I do this in person or virtual? Which one will be most effective for my directives/message?”)

Ad hominem - I’ll take that one, my bad.

[brickhistory]

I simply thank my God that there is someone to be my moral and wisdom mentor posting here.

 

Also:  US Special Operations Command general retires

 

As he's been there since 2022, simply a routine retirement.  But still another one gone.

Edited 3 hours ago by brickhistory

[disgruntledemployee]

I suppose my view of this event comes from an interaction I had with a 4 Star.  I was worker bee end on a conference we were producing with other Gens, etc.  Boss leans in and asks my boss, "What decisions will we be making?  (Rest is paraphrasing) If we're calling in a bunch of Gens, we better be making productive decisions otherwise it's just a big waste.

One way speeches are pretty much that.  Now if the crowd got to stand up and ask good, hard questions, that changes my opinion, unless said Qs are planted softballs.  But for that to happen, the doors probably needed to close and the TV cameras turned off.  And there goes that big beautiful production for the world to see.

Lastly, in the whole world of policy changes, to include stuff like don't ask, don't tell, to, ok, now you can tell, or women in combat, etc., has there been a briefing like this to convey those policies? Nope, a letter is ginned up, signed, maybe a press conference, and sent out.

[brickhistory]

And?

One other point; nothing says sincerity/seriousness like the face-to-face interaction.  Rather reinforces the point of the new sheriff in town operates differently so get on board or get out.

Also, generals work for SECDEF & POTUS.  If those offices chose to call generals in, said generals respond with "yes, sir."

Pretty standard, I'd say.

A maybe conspiracy thing is that this meeting was a cover for another purpose regarding upcoming actions.