America just staged what felt more like a political dog-and-pony show than a strategic summit.
Pete Hegseth summoned hundreds of admirals and generals to Quantico for a publicized meeting with zero clear agenda (seriously, even the invitees didn’t know why they were there). It’s the kind of spectacle that should worry any thinking person—or any warfighter whose loyalty is to mission, not showmanship.
That spectacle hides a deeper rot: our military leadership has become bloated, top-heavy, and strangled by bureaucracy. And with America’s moral and strategic authority drifting, Europe watches—and the likes of Xi and Putin are ready to pounce.
The Swell of Stars
Back in 2001, the U.S. military was leaner at the top. Today? We’ve ballooned. Hegseth recently ordered a 20% cut in four-star generals and admirals—a step in the right direction, but essentially an admission that leadership ranks have long been overstuffed like a Costco Thanksgiving turkey.
Still, that’s just cutting the worst of the excess. The fact that such a cut is necessary speaks volumes. How many midlevel layers of staff, oversight boards, committees, and flag officers do we really need?
When the chain of command is choked with paper pushers and “strategic initiatives,” real operational focus gets suffocated.
The Meeting That Shouldn’t Have Happened
Summoning hundreds of top brass to a location known to foreign intelligence agencies, with no clear agenda, no operational purpose published—that’s not leadership. That’s theater, and a security gamble with all those heads in the same room.
Even more alarmingly, it sends a signal: that command isn’t about trust, mission, or merit. It’s about optics, control, and loyalty tests. Real leaders don’t need to pile their generals in seats to prove they’re in charge. Real leaders get followed—not because of the title pinned on their chest, but because people believe in their direction.
Where Europe Looks for a Signal
Europe isn’t expecting perfection from the U.S. They expect consistency, capacity, and leadership.
When America is in disarray—when we’re too busy grappling with internal culture wars and inflated bureaucracies—we lose our seat at the global grown-up table. Allies hesitate. Adversaries encroach.
Xi of China and Putin are aware of this. They don’t necessarily need to outgun us or outfight us. They just need to outlast us, while we fight ourselves over titles and pronouns. They count on the vacuum. Because in the absence of coherent American leadership, they offer something: control, certainty, a posture. And some will lean in.
Leadership Is Followed, Not Titled
Look, I don’t hate some of Hegseth’s rhetoric—cutting waste and reasserting standards can be necessary. But when you lead with pageantry instead of purpose, you train your people to chase the wrong measure of success. You produce generals who know how to polish boots and posture for cameras—not serve the troops.
Real leadership is forged in quiet conviction, competence under pressure, and the courage to take flak. It’s not about ratings or votes.
Even Bruce Springsteen recently said we need a new political party. I’d go further: we need a new system. One that breaks the two-party stranglehold and forces genuine choice, not just rearranging the same circus every few years.
We don’t need a swirl of new uniforms and phony promises. We need leadership that serves mission, not headlines.