Kurt Schlichter is a retired US Army Infantry Colonel, a LA trial attorney and a prolific writer, producing not only Monday and Thursday articles at Townhall.com, but is seemingly everywhere else on the Internet. He’s also the author of the popular Kelly Turnbull series, and his most recent novel is The Attack. I reviewed both here.

Schlichter has posted on X a “to-do” list for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Did you enjoy hearing that as much as I enjoyed typing it? It’s not a comprehensive list, but will go a long way toward returning our military to an actual fighting force rather than a social experimentation laboratory. I’ll add comments in italics:

Graphic: X Screenshot

...and groups, not the weather in a century. Related: The Army having dumped its green uniform, the military is no longer concerned with green frivolity.

As I recently wrote here at AT, removing the current Chairman is essential. Gen. Charles Brown is an anti-white, DEI true believer. Hegseth must also carefully vet the rest with an eye toward removal. Let them convince him they’re warriors rather than DEI bureaucrats in uniform.

Never in human history has mankind been less at the mercy of weather/climate. The military must do better than anyone else.

3. Instruct that EVERY attack option briefed to POTUS will include significant degradation of enemy military capabilities; no more “messages” or “signals.” Diplomats send messages. If we hit, it hurts and makes the enemy less capable.

Amen.

4. Tell the UK we’re keeping Diego Garcia; they can work backwards from that end state.

Graphic: Chris Muir, Day by Day Cartoon. Used with permission.

5. Create an unofficial advisor cell to collect and report outrages, guidance violations, and other antics by bureaucrats and “resistance” hacks out in the field; select targets to make examples that will encourage compliance with the new commander’s intent. Resistance must be quickly and unequivocally crushed.

This cell must include NCOs whose identity is known only to the SecDef and his designees, and they must be invulnerable to retaliation.

6. No more vague grounds for relief; instead, when an officer is relieved, it will not be for “loss of command confidence” but for specific wrongdoing. Set a clear standard, particularly that orders given will be carried out, and enforce it.

That’s called due process.

7. Launch surprise SecDef visits to military facilities; start with walk-thrus of troop housing with the senior installation NCO. If conditions do not meet the standard, see #6 above. This supports recruiting and retention while reorienting the officer corps toward basic troop care. Basic Rule: Officer facilities had better not be in better shape than troop quarters.

Also ensure our troops are being properly fed.  That’s not the case now as I recently wrote. 

8. Fire every service academy and war college superintendent; direct that non-stem professors will be terminated and replaced with serving or retired officers. Call in reservists as well. Rule: If it does not help students be a better leader of killers, it’s gone. Require briefing by the new supers on the revised curricula that corresponds to the CINC’s intent on warfighting and DEI NLT 15 FEB 25.

Also review the academic records of DEI cadets. Give them a chance to be retained by strict adherence to real academic and leadership standards. If they can’t, they’re out.

9. Refuse to tolerate the “Sir, we can’t cuz regulations” dodge; an order implies the task of identifying and executing the means of changing rules and regulations that purport to block change. The job of a subordinate is to find a way, not to find an excuse. Again, see #6.

That’s what you get when merit doesn’t matter and incompetence and ass-kissing fails upward.

10. Relieve any commander, and the CNO, if there is a spot of rust on a US Navy ship after 15 FEB 25. Anyone claiming that “We can’t have professional looking ships because of safety and environmental rules” is referred to #9 and #6.

Every warship represents America. Rust buckets violate a primary military principle. Everyone who survived boot camp knows folding socks and towels precisely and placing them precisely in a drawer doesn’t matter. What matters is learning to pay attention to detail and doing even simple tasks exactly right every time. That’s what saves lives and wins wars.

SPECIAL BONUS ITEM: No more milspeak staff-hack jargon. Jargon is always a means to disguise confusion or to exclude outside input that challenges the status quo. Simple, clear English is the standard. Come in hard. You can always let up when the organization has earned a lighter hand. 

Eliminating jargon will begin at the academies.

It appears the Trump Administration is establishing mechanisms to detect and fire people unwilling to follow orders, who refuse to work for all the American people, and who would stealthily sabotage Trump’s lawful orders. Hegseth knows the military. He’ll be able to do that well.

On a different subject, if you are not already a subscriber, you may not know that we’ve implemented something new: A weekly newsletter with unique content from our editors for subscribers only. These essays alone are worth the cost of the subscription. 

Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.