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EPISODE · Oct 7, 2026 · 31 MIN

The Problem With Hegseth’s Pentagon

from The Opinions · host New York Times Opinion

What impact has the Iran war had on the U.S. military? As the conflict drags on, the Times Opinion columnist and Iraq war veteran David French speaks with the former Special Forces officer Mike Nelson about the way Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, has tried to remake the military in the midst of the war, and what the Democrats should do if they win control of Congress in January. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected]. This episode of “The Opinions” was produced by Jillian Weinberger. It was edited by Kaari Pitkin. Mixing by Carole Sabouraud. Original music by Pat McCusker. Fact-checking by Kelsey Lannin, Kate Sinclair and Mary Marge Locker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta and Kristina Samulewski. The director of audio engineering is Isaac Jones. The deputy director of Opinion Shows is Alison Bruzek. The director of Opinion Shows is Annie-Rose Strasser. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Oct 7, 2026

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A Special Forces veteran joins the columnist David French to assess Pete Hegseth’s leadership.

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The Problem With Hegseth’s Pentagon

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