A retired Major General just called out Pete Hegseth as a ‘potential war criminal’
Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth has been gaining attention over his controversial remarks surrounding the Iran war. In multiple instances, Hegseth has threatened acts that are against international law. Retired Major General Randy Manner took the time to condemn Hegseth’s remarks.
“We also don’t fight with stupid rules of engagement,” Hegseth said in October 2025. This was months prior to the war, and Hegseth was justifying the name change of the Department of Defense to the Department of War.
“We tie the hands of our war fighters to intimidate, demoralize, hunt, and kill the enemies of our country,” Hegseth continued. In his speech, he also condemned the ideas of nation-building, heavily leaning on the idea of starting wars—”not defense,” as he puts it.
To this, Manner shrugged. The retired major general said, “Those are the words of a potential war criminal right there. And that is not the advice, and counsel, and direction that any Secretary of Defense should be providing our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines. “It puts them actually in greater danger.”
“The Secretary of Defense is a disgraced major that was kicked out of the DC National Guard. He has no qualifications whatsoever to be the Secretary of Defense, other than his extreme loyalty to the president,” Manner further condemned Hegseth.
Manner reiterated, “Again, those are the words of a potential war criminal.”
Manner foreshadowed the unimaginable
It’s important to clarify that Hegseth was not dismissed in the National Guard. However, he was flagged as an ‘insider threat’ by another fellow service member over his ‘deus vult’ tattoo. This led to Hegseth’s resignation. Although the Defense Secretary hasn’t addressed the extremist allegations behind his tattoo, the phrase has roots in the first Crusades. “Deus vult,” which means “God wills it,” was the battle cry of Christians when Pope Urban II rallied them to expel Muslims from Jerusalem.
Given the connotations of his tattoo, Hegseth’s eagerness to go to war in the Middle East can certainly raise eyebrows.
Nevertheless, Manner’s warning isn’t without any merit. In 2025, the US military struck an alleged drug boat in the eastern Pacific. This act was widely condemned as an extrajudicial killing. In a preliminary inquiry, the United States was found responsible for bombing a girls’ school in the Minab region of Iran. The strike killed 168. Most of the casualties were children. The United States continues to deny responsibility. However, the defense secretary—who has been less than careful with his remarks—implied opening fire at Iranian civilians.
The many instances in which Hegseth leads his Department of War suggest that violence is a priority. But what else is there to expect from a leader whom Trump claims to have said, “It’s more fun shooting them down” when speaking of enemy ships? It’s nothing short of violent, to say the least.
Why the rules of war are not ‘woke’
The rules of war are meant to apply to both sides. It’s meant to reduce casualties among the civilian population and prevent soldiers from killing with impunity. Imploring soldiers to disregard these rules would put them in danger, because the enemy would see no point in following these rules. Civilian infrastructure can be freely targeted, and the loss of life would be insurmountable without the rules.
But even if the enemy doesn’t choose to abide by international law, following the rules of war gives the United States moral high ground. There is nothing ‘woke’ in choosing honor and nobility in war. Abiding by these rules proves that the United States does not have a rogue military. There would be no point in campaigning against terrorism when America’s troops wreak death and destruction in their wake.
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