Hegseth to look into ‘what went wrong’ in Afghanistan and pledges accountability, slams diversity motto

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday addressed events in Afghanistan, saying they created the perception of ‘American weakness.’

While speaking to the Department of Defense and Pentagon workforce during a town hall on Friday, Hegseth said America ‘deserves to take accountability for’ events in Afghanistan, the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, and the war that was unleashed in Ukraine. 

‘Chaos happens when the perception of American strength is not complete,’ Hegseth said. ‘We aim to re-establish that deterrence.’

He discussed the three pillars he will focus on during his term – reviving the warrior ethos, restoring trust in the military and rebuilding it by matching threats to capabilities, and reestablishing deterrence by defending the homeland.

Hegseth also spoke about the broken windows theory in policing, explaining that disregarding the small things in the military can create large problems.

‘I think the same thing exists inside our services – making sure at every level, there [are] standards and accountability, and that we live it at the highest levels,’ he said.

That is why, Hegseth said, the U.S. will look back at what happened in Afghanistan.

He added the department will hold people accountable.

‘Not to be retrospective, not for retribution, but to understand what went wrong and why there was no accountability for it,’ Hegseth said.

Going forward, the military will find strength in unity, not diversity, according to Hegseth.

‘I think the single dumbest phrase in military history is ‘our diversity is our strength,’’ he said. ‘Our strength is our shared purpose – regardless of our background, regardless of how we grew up, regardless of our gender, regardless of our race. 

In the department, Hegseth said everyone will be treated equally.

‘We will treat everyone with fairness,’ he said. ‘We will treat everyone with respect.’

Service members and department civilian employees will be judged by their merit, commitment to the team, and the mission, according to Hegseth.