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The Problem With Hegseth’s Pentagon

The Problem With Hegseth’s Pentagon

The Opinions
Oct 7, 2026 32 min
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About this episode

<p>What impact has the Iran war had on the U.S. military? As the conflict drags on, the Times Opinion columnist and Iraq war veteran David French speaks with the former Special Forces officer Mike Nelson about the way Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, has tried to remake the military in the midst of the war, and what the Democrats should do if they win control of Congress in January.</p><p>Thoughts? Email us at <a href="mailto:theopinions@nytimes.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">theopinions@nytimes.com</a>.</p><p>This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Jillian Weinberger. It was edited by Kaari Pitkin. Mixing by Carole Sabouraud. Original music by Pat McCusker. Fact-checking by Kelsey Lannin, Kate Sinclair and Mary Marge Locker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski. The director of audio engineering is Isaac Jones. The deputy director of Opinion Shows is Alison Bruzek. The director of Opinion Shows is Annie-Rose Strasser.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>

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