In this essay for The Free Press, Elliot Ackerman examines Pete Hegseth’s repeated use of the term “warfighters” and what it reveals about his vision for the Pentagon.
Ackerman argues that Hegseth’s rhetoric risks dividing the military by elevating one narrow image of service while dismissing the broader reality of America’s armed forces.
Warfighters and Military Culture
The essay explores how Hegseth has framed himself as a defender of “warfighters,” while also using that language to wage a political and cultural argument inside the military.
War Crimes and Accountability
Ackerman focuses on Hegseth’s public support for service members accused or convicted of war crimes, including Mathew Golsteyn, Clint Lorance, and Eddie Gallagher. For Ackerman, defending these cases undermines the values and accountability that military service requires.
The Risk of Politicizing the Military
The essay warns that importing civilian culture-war divisions into the armed forces threatens military cohesion and distracts from the strategic challenges facing the Department of Defense.
For Ackerman, the U.S. military is not MAGA, not woke, and not the property of any faction. It is American.