Summary

Concerns have emerged over Trump’s defense secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth, who has criticized the Geneva Conventions and U.S. military rules of engagement as overly restrictive.

Critics, including retired military officers, argue his rhetoric could undermine the military’s commitment to lawful conduct and accountability.

Hegseth has supported pardons for service members convicted of war crimes and questioned the application of international laws to extremist adversaries.

While Hegseth claims he does not condone war crimes, experts worry his stance could confuse troops and erode core military principles.

  • Deceptichum@quokk.au
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    20
    ·
    1 day ago

    What fucking scum is only concerned now? The US has been war criming with impunity my whole life and long before it.

    Your official policy is to invade the fucking UN if a solder gets charged with a war crime. Who fucking cares if he pardons someone.

  • unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    26
    ·
    edit-2
    1 day ago

    As opposed to every other US government in the history of US governments? Dont get me wrong it can always be worse, but still, odd headline. They literally have laws to make sure that nobody can touch their war criminals even if caught red handed.

    • Maggoty@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      9 hours ago

      They mean we won’t even abide by our own laws anymore. While our political elite love to yeet the military all over the world, the rank and file has been largely subject to international laws of war while overseas.

      Now they want the rank and file to have as much impunity as our political elite.

    • Porto881@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      17
      ·
      1 day ago

      The US has it codified into law to invade The Hague if any US soldier is indicted by the UN.

  • WatDabney@sopuli.xyz
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    12
    ·
    1 day ago

    I’d pretty much guarantee that “willing to turn a blind eye to U.S. war crimes” was a prerequisite as far as Trump and his handlers were concerned.

  • OutlierBlue@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    10
    ·
    1 day ago

    Some military officers worry that Pete Hegseth could turn a blind eye to U.S. war crimes

    Of course he will! All of these appointees are hand-picked to dismantle the thing they’re put in charge of.

  • justOnePersistentKbinPlease@fedia.io
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    3
    ·
    1 day ago

    Yeah, thats a real concern.

    After all, the trials over the Bush administration legalizing Torture went on for so long and went a long way to helping the rest of the world trust the US.

  • gravitas_deficiency
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    3
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    edit-2
    1 day ago

    I feel like he probably listed that as a proposed stance when he submitted his CV. For the circles he’s going to be working with: that’s a feature, not a bug.