The direction of society lately

[Saab2000]

What are the qualifications? It's a CEO job, what qualifies a person to be a CEO? The CEOs I've worked with typically had an MBA from an Ivy League school and experience at differing levels of management. I'd prefer a person with experience in every level of military service with a strong foundation in history. Our recent history shows a lack of understanding what the military needs vice what some think tank says we should buy. For example, we're building frigates based on the FREMM model used by the French and Italians. It is a simple design that is highly capable but we've altered the design, downsized the gun, and made it slower and less efficient. We should build them exactly like the European versions, complete with a 5" gun and just upgrade the weapons system to work with our other ships.

OT, but we spent stupid money on the LCS program for a bunch of problematic ships that benefited some constituents of influential members of Congress. We didn't build replacements for our aging cruisers which are quickly going away at the end of their hull life. We didn't need to build an identical replacement, but cruisers serve as component commander ships with an enhanced communication and radar suite and a metric shit-tonne of vertical launch missiles including versions that can shoot down ICBMs. My son is a Marine aviator who will be in an F-35 in about a year. Marines did not upgrade to Super Hornets and still fly legacy Hornets (F/A 18 C,D) from the 80s and 90s. They are upgrading directly to the F-35, which means they're competing against the other services and some foreign allies for airframes. The F-35B replaces the Harrier, so it's necessary, but the slow introduction means a lot of pilots are spending time in simulators instead of in the air.

I would think someone with a history of high level leadership in the military or military adjacent industry would be a better choice. I admit I have no military background and he does, but it seems like a bad fit to lead the DOD. Just my $02. It seems like an odd choice. In the case of Marco Rubio he picked someone who at least feigns loyalty and while I find him distasteful as a person, he’s probably as qualified to lead the Department of State as well as anyone. Pete Hegseth does not seem qualified to lead the DOD.

[marley]

To quote the Beastie Boys - he is a "dog on a leash, a pig in a pen" - he is literally Trumps lap dog that and the hair - those are the only qualifications that are required.

but for real so many bad vibes about this guy and this is not even the elite liberal media pushing anonymous claims - thinking anything other is gaslighting yourself - I get it if it was some rando claim of making a pass at colleague at one of his drunken work/non-profit/Vet org events - but the number of accusations at work and his home life and the letter from his mother - where does the shame train end....what kind of psycho with this baggage gets up and looks in the mirror and says I am killing today and deserve this job

[bcm119]

The proliferation of memes that cherry pick information and make the worst assumptions are the lifeblood of social media. From both sides.

Speaking of making the worst assumptions, why do you tend to believe the ex-wife but not her sister? Many, many survivors of abusive relationships choose to let sleeping dogs lie, because those dogs bite. It's a common dynamic. We don't know what's true, but given the possible baggage, moving on to a different candidate is the best way forward.

[bigbill]

Speaking of making the worst assumptions, why do you tend to believe the ex-wife but not her sister? Many, many survivors of abusive relationships choose to let sleeping dogs lie, because those dogs bite. It's a common dynamic. We don't know what's true, but given the possible baggage, moving on to a different candidate is the best way forward.

Looking into it, the woman is the ex-wife of Hegseth's brother, not the sister of his ex-wife. It doesn't matter what anyone believes, it should rely on evidence, not a trial in the media. He may not make it, but there are others who can do the job.

[bigbill]

I would think someone with a history of high level leadership in the military or military adjacent industry would be a better choice. I admit I have no military background and he does, but it seems like a bad fit to lead the DOD. Just my $02. It seems like an odd choice. In the case of Marco Rubio he picked someone who at least feigns loyalty and while I find him distasteful as a person, he’s probably as qualified to lead the Department of State as well as anyone. Pete Hegseth does not seem qualified to lead the DOD.

I think choosing someone from the military industrial complex would be a mistake. We've learned about modern warfare from the war in Ukraine. New shiny weapons system are becoming obsolete by off the shelf technology. The Ukrainians are using Bradley fighting vehicles that were seen as problematic in the U.S. due to their employment. The Ukrainians use them in pairs and have taken out Russian T-90 tanks by altering their design mission as a "battle taxi" and figuring out how to use them in combat against tanks. Our military needs to take those lessons on board and rethink our fighting plans instead of giving soldiers some unwieldy weapons system that the Pentagon was convinced to purchase.

[j44ke]

Looking into it, the woman is the ex-wife of Hegseth's brother, not the sister of his ex-wife. It doesn't matter what anyone believes, it should rely on evidence, not a trial in the media. He may not make it, but there are others who can do the job.

How about you, Bill? Phone rings, Orangeman is on the line, Hey Bill this Hesgeth guy isn't going to make it so I want you to be my DOD guy, see you in Washington DC tomorrow. Would you do it?

I am curious not accusatory. Could you do the job and do it well?

[jimcav]

How is it this is the serious candidate?
Nothing, nothing in his background suggests he has the skills to competently do the job. Any by 'job' I mean just the minimums required by statute in 10 USC 113: Secretary of Defense.

I'll even set aside the fact that I really don't like any nominee who has allegations against them that would be very serious for anyone on active duty (who are all subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).

The voting public may no longer care about adultery, assault, sexual assault, fraud, etc. but such are all still real, prosecuted offences under UCMJ.
The military reflects society b/c it is a volunteer force, but we appropriately hold the military to a higher standard--they are GI Joe, not Joe-Public.

You can't really find anyone who has managed something as huge & complex as the DoD, not to mention it's sheer size, but one with such potentially nation-defining consequences to lives, reputation, safety/security;
BUT someone who has NOT been able to successfully manage a small organization...just skip that one and go to another nominee (hopefully one without serious allegations that would make them a better candidate for the brig than deployment if they were active duty).

[htwoopup]

You may have heard of Lt General Mark Hertling was Commander US Army from 2011-2012. Tanks. Platoons. Direct experience. West Point grad. 35 years.

He wrote this a couple of weeks ago. It comes from a place of being there and seeing what has worked and what hasn't worked as to qualifications.

https://www.thebulwark.com/p/does-pe...dRedirect=true

[bigbill]

How about you, Bill? Phone rings, Orangeman is on the line, Hey Bill this Hesgeth guy isn't going to make it so I want you to be my DOD guy, see you in Washington DC tomorrow. Would you do it?

I am curious not accusatory. Could you do the job and do it well?

Sure. Like I said, it's a CEO job, you don't have to know all things, you have to manage the people who do. I worked my adult life as an engineer and manager. There are plenty of engineers who are very smart about their subject, but few can or want to be managers. It's the engineers who are willing to let people execute their own plans and not try to be the smartest person in the room that can succeed as a manager. The SEC DEF is a political appointment, you have to understand the issue but not necessarily in depth. "You've demonstrated we don't have enough aircraft carriers, what is your plan to increase the size of the fleet?" "Can we afford that within our budget?" "What are the alternatives or stopgap measures?" You utilize your undersecretaries to identify system experts, and you exercise "leadership by walking around," letting your folks know you're interested and asking questions and listening to the folks that have to execute the plans decided upon. I learned long ago that there are many right ways to do something, and a few wrong ways. If one of my subordinates has a plan that's right, but not the right way I would have chosen, I have to let that person execute their plan, because they have a personal investment in making it work and will execute their own plan better than mine. As the leader, I make sure folks have what they need to succeed, and the protection to do their job. If the plan goes well, you publicly praise the person, if it doesn't go well, you take the blame, because you can never delegate responsibility.

[KonaSS]

Respectfully, your description of the duties of CEO are base level expectations of a first line manager in my organization. If that is all you did, you wouldn't even make it to a second line leader.

I have much higher expectations of the qualifications and performance for the leader of a tax funded organization with an annual budget of ~$850B.

[takashi]

Guy can barely manage his own life lol

God bless this mess

[Walter Sobchak]

God bless this mess

Look on the bright side. At least he wasn't nominated for Attorney General, accused of child sex trafficking, and offered the brilliant defense of "OK, so those high school girls that I had sex with were over 18 at the time."

Creeps are so weird.

[bigbill]

Respectfully, your description of the duties of CEO are base level expectations of a first line manager in my organization. If that is all you did, you wouldn't even make it to a second line leader.

I have much higher expectations of the qualifications and performance for the leader of a tax funded organization with an annual budget of ~$850B.

The highest amount of responsibility I've had is around 450 people and a material and project budget of 75 million to maintain seventeen Los Angeles class submarines. The traits I described are just the basics of management, but they don't really change, they just get more expansive. I know you said "respectfully," but keep in mind that I was asked a question and answered it without getting in the weeds, so there was no reason for condescension to put me in my place. I've accomplished much in my life and I happily stepped away from management in 2022 instead of taking a new job as a plant manager, which is far above first line management.

[rwsaunders]

You have to look at the number of fellow felons that Trump has pardoned to date and ask yourself why we’re supposed to take any of his appointments seriously. I guess Tarrio being the latest pardoned felon, who is the epitome of the kind of thug and scum that he surrounds himself with. It’s pretty scary if you ask me.

“On Jan. 6, 2021, the group began their assault that day at 10:00 a.m. when Nordean, Biggs, Rehl, and others marched an assembled group of nearly 200 individuals away from speeches at the Ellipse and directly toward the Capitol. At 2:11 p.m., Pezzola smashed open a window, allowing the first rioters to enter the Capitol as Biggs and those with him entered close behind. Court documents say that Nordean, Biggs and Rehl, and the men they recruited and led, participated in every consequential breach at the Capitol that day.

As the events of Jan. 6, 2021, unfolded, Tarrio, who was monitoring the attack from afar as it unfolded, posted encouraging messages to his tens of thousands of social media followers, including the following messages: “Proud of my boys and my country” and “Don’t f****** leave.” Tarrio privately claimed credit for the riot at the Capitol, telling Proud Boys senior leadership, “Make no mistake . . . we did this.” On Jan. 7, 2021, Tarrio addressed the Ministry of Self Defense members, telling them he was “proud of y’all.”

During the hearing, U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly found that Tarrio’s conduct constituted an official act of terrorism and applied an enhancement to his final sentence.

The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case. The charges in the investigation are the result of significant cooperation between agents and staff across numerous FBI Field Offices and law enforcement agencies. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the Justice Department’s National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, and the Justice Department’s Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section prosecuted the case. In the 31 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,106 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 350 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.”

[Tom]

It'll be interesting to see if there's any fallout when one of those characters commits a violent crime because one has to figure that the odds are very good that at least one of them will.

[KonaSS]

The highest amount of responsibility I've had is around 450 people and a material and project budget of 75 million to maintain seventeen Los Angeles class submarines. The traits I described are just the basics of management, but they don't really change, they just get more expansive. I know you said "respectfully," but keep in mind that I was asked a question and answered it without getting in the weeds, so there was no reason for condescension to put me in my place. I've accomplished much in my life and I happily stepped away from management in 2022 instead of taking a new job as a plant manager, which is far above first line management.

My point is an effective CEO is much more than operational management, which are the qualities you described. I would argue that strategy, vision, direction, building teams is much more important. Sure there are plenty of bad CEOs out there, but also plenty of good ones. And the good ones are much more than a degree from a fancy business school. Not to diminish your accomplishments, but finding someone who would be above average in the role of Secretary of Defense is the top few percent of people in this field. You make it sound like anyone who made it to manager of your local Walmart Superstore could handle it. But I disagree. It isn't you or I, and I don't know Pete H., but from what I have read of him, there certainly plenty of red flags and not much track record.

[Too Tall]

I'd vote to nominate Bill, than duck and hide 'cause his wife would beat the tar out of me.

I'm a patriot core thru and thru, don't ask me what that means unless we are nose to nose over a beer. A republic, if you can keep it B. Franklin.

When Biden advised his closing speech that it was our turn, that's what it ment. Regardless of politics or the hat you wear it is our responsibility to keep the Republic.

Talk to me about solutions not problems. We can spend the next XX days pointing fingers or lift up our better selves. If you can't do something, send a check. If you can't send a check or do something get out of the way.

xxoo

[72gmc]

Back on the original topic of the healthcare business vs the people, I’m reminded of this commentary from 1968.

[vertical_doug]

My point is an effective CEO is much more than operational management, which are the qualities you described. I would argue that strategy, vision, direction, building teams is much more important. Sure there are plenty of bad CEOs out there, but also plenty of good ones. And the good ones are much more than a degree from a fancy business school. Not to diminish your accomplishments, but finding someone who would be above average in the role of Secretary of Defense is the top few percent of people in this field. You make it sound like anyone who made it to manager of your local Walmart Superstore could handle it. But I disagree. It isn't you or I, and I don't know Pete H., but from what I have read of him, there certainly plenty of red flags and not much track record.

I would say is this situation, the most important aspect of the role is providing counsel and advice to the president. You are the number 2 for the DoD with the president being commander and chief. You are also a member of the security council. I do not think having two impulsive, tough guy personas are what the nation needs in a time of crisis. I suspect Mad-Dog was not Mad Doggy enough when he counseled caution or more contemplation on security matters regarding using the military. (If I recall correctly, Trump wanted to use active military to quell the civil unrest during the George Floyd protests, and James Mattis prevented this) What do we suppose Hegseth will counsel in a similar situation? Sometimes, it does just come down to character to do the right thing.

[thollandpe]

Talk to me about solutions not problems.

We solve these problems one at a time, right? Like this one, all it takes is one or two more Republican senators to simply say that this candidate is unqualified. Next, please.

They don’t have to embellish that as “woefully” unqualified or that the nomination was absurd, or an insult to the office or the people who serve. Just simply acknowledge that The Emperor’s New Clothes aren’t up to snuff.



That’s not a lot to ask, is it?