Generals Out, Drones In: Hegseth's Plan for the Military

Adam Gillard and Dick Wilkinson start with the congressional hearing featuring former special counsel Jack Smith. They argue it was performative clip-hunting ahead of the midterms that buried what Smith actually said about January 6th. They also cover the senator whose "gotcha" text messages fell apart when it came out that Smith was at an Iowa Hawkeyes game, not in Atlanta.Most of the episode breaks down Secretary Hegseth's annual State of the Forces address, delivered this year to E-6s and O-3s instead of generals. The hosts go through the main pieces:Another 20 percent cut to general and flag officers by JanuaryProject Meridian, the think tank of Elon Musk, Newt Gingrich, and Palmer LuckeyThe new Autonomous Warfare CommandThe American Corps of Cadets ROTC push at schools like Liberty and HillsdaleA new Office of Religious Affairs reporting directly to HegsethA proposed "Fortress America" megabase and an energy self-sufficiency mandate for every installationDick, a former intelligence analyst, weighs in on where drone warfare is headed. Adam questions what the religious office and the school list are really for.They close with Tennessee's failed lethal injection and their views on the death penalty, deterrence, and the cost of getting it wrong.