1. United States
2. La.
3. Letter

The nomination of Pete Hegseth as defense secretary raises serious concerns about the potential for misuse of the U.S. military in domestic affairs. Hegseth has openly written about a scenario where the armed forces would be deployed against American citizens in the event of a Democratic election victory, even describing it as a "civil war." This rhetoric directly undermines civilian control of the military and threatens to politicize and divide the armed forces along partisan lines. Such an individual should not be entrusted with leadership of the world's most powerful military. The U.S. military exists to defend the nation, not to take sides in electoral disputes or intervene in domestic politics. Approving Hegseth's nomination would set a disturbing precedent that could irreparably damage the apolitical, professional nature of the military and threaten core democratic principles. I urge you to reject this dangerous nomination and uphold the civilian, constitutional authority over the armed forces.