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The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free

by Pete Hegseth · 2024

The War on Warriors is a 2024 nonfiction polemic by Pete Hegseth, a U.S. Army National Guard veteran and former Fox News host, in which he argues that the American military has been weakened by what he characterizes as… more

First published 2024 · 256 pages · English

12 quotes ★ 4.10 (3,708) Nonfiction

Quotes from the Book

We need to clean house of woke generals. Currently the Department of Defense has forty-four four-star generals with a total force of 1.2 million serving. In World War II, there were only seven four-star generals and over 21 million were serving. It’s upside down, and ripe for firings—without replacements.
3
But what if a general—or lots of generals—lost billions of dollars of military equipment? Specifically
As Mark Levin recently documented, the Democrat Party really does hate America. Our Constitution, our flag, our faith, and our creeds.
we want to live free, we’d better be willing to die trying.
If we want to live free, we’d better be willing to die trying.
Worst of all, military leaders who go along with the leftist social experiments—get promoted. It’s been that way since Obama, and is on hyperspeed today.
I also didn’t want to be in a higher headquarters unit—that’s why I got out of the Army in 2014. Higher headquarters crush your soul. They are bureaucratic, political, and mind-numbingly boring. I wanted to get back out on the gun range, back on the drill floor, out with soldiers.
Ultimately, this type of approach is not the fault of the troops—it is the fault of the general class.
Sure, some of our generals may (or may not) have been combat leaders as captains or lieutenant colonels, but once you pin a star on your shoulder, the political pressure mounts. Go-along-to-get-along, and get promoted, is the smoothest path. Don’t rock the boat, do what your political masters tell you, never admit mistakes—and get promoted. Then, once you retire, you get to collect a pension and a sweet job from Lockheed Martin.
Don’t just take my word for it, here are the folks who wrote the book on it. Each year, the Heritage Foundation publishes its Index of U.S. Military Strength. Think of it as a 650-page report card for every branch of the U.S. military. Its 2024 report is blunt, “as currently postured, the U.S. military is at significant risk of not being able to defend America’s vital national interests.” For the second year in a row, our military is rated as “weak” relative to the force needed to defend national interests. Weak . . . two years in a row. The authors of this exhaustive report are patriots. Most are former military. They love our troops. And they are brutally honest. Things must change, and quickly—for the sake of our country and our warfighters.
Rights are not rights when they are contingent on the favor of government or political leaders.
Joining a team often starts with self-interest, but if that continues to be your priority, you have a problem.

Did you know?

  • The book was published by Broadside Books, an imprint of HarperCollins, on June 4, 2024.
  • Hegseth has stated he received a $348,000 advance from HarperCollins for the book.
  • The War on Warriors spent time on the New York Times bestseller list in 2024.
  • The book proposes reforms such as barring military leaders from working for defense contractors for ten years after service.
  • Public interest in the book surged after Hegseth was nominated as Secretary of Defense in November 2024.
  • It is one of several books by Hegseth, who also wrote American Crusade (2020) and the memoir In the Arena (2016).

About Pete Hegseth

Pete Hegseth is a U.S. Army National Guard veteran who served tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay, earning two Bronze Stars. A Princeton and Harvard Kennedy School graduate, he became a Fox News contributor and co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend before being confirmed as U.S. Secretary of Defense in January 2025.

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About the book

The War on Warriors is a 2024 nonfiction polemic by Pete Hegseth, a U.S. Army National Guard veteran and former Fox News host, in which he argues that the American military has been weakened by what he characterizes as 'woke' policies and ideological agendas. Drawing on his own service and his years covering the armed forces, Hegseth contends that diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, shifting standards, and a focus on social policy have distracted the institution from its core purpose of fighting and winning wars.

Across the book, Hegseth develops themes of meritocracy, warrior ethos, and institutional accountability, criticizing military bureaucracy, careerism among senior leadership, and what he sees as the politicization of the ranks. He pairs his critique with a set of proposed reforms, including restoring uniform physical and combat standards, curbing the influence of defense contractors over retiring officers, streamlining bureaucracy, and holding leaders accountable for prioritizing careers over the troops they command.

The War on Warriors was a commercial success, spending time on the New York Times bestseller list, and drew sharply divided reactions. Supporters praised it as a frank, insider critique of the modern military by a combat veteran, while critics on the left rejected its framing of cultural and diversity initiatives as threats. The book gained renewed attention after Hegseth was nominated and confirmed as U.S. Secretary of Defense following the 2024 election.

Book details

First published
2024
Length
256 pages
Reading time
6 hours
Goodreads rating
4.10 (4k ratings)

Critical reception

  • The book spent time on the New York Times bestseller list during 2024.
  • Supportive reviewers framed it as a candid, insider critique of the military by a decorated combat veteran.
  • Critics on the left rejected its characterization of diversity and inclusion efforts as threats to military effectiveness.
  • Attention to the book intensified after Hegseth's nomination and confirmation as Secretary of Defense.

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