David Ignatius writes:

American voters gave Donald Trump a solid win on Election Day. But they didn’t give him a wrecking ball to destroy the country’s military and intelligence agencies.

That’s what’s so scary about Trump’s nominations of Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard as secretary of defense and director of national intelligence, respectively. Neither is remotely qualified for two of the most important management jobs in government. They’re polemicists and ideologues — wreckers, to be blunt, rather than builders. If confirmed, they would do more to doom Trump’s presidency than Democrats ever could.

Trump is a disrupter, and this latest set of nominations (including Matt Gaetz for attorney general) has shown that he hopes to overturn what he imagines as the “deep state.” Trump’s bark was worse than his bite during his first term. But now he is gathering a war cabinet for what seems to be a serious assault on the leadership of the military and the intelligence community.

Hegseth’s nomination is especially dangerous. On Fox News, he has made a career out of denouncing the senior military leaders he would direct as defense secretary. His recent book, “The War on Warriors,” includes personal attacks on Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Adm. Lisa Franchetti, chief of naval operations. He smears them, in effect, as diversity hires.

“The Left captured the military quickly, and we must reclaim it at a faster pace. We must wage a frontal assault,” Hegseth writes. He describes what he regards as the current military ethos with an imaginary call to arms, “We will not stop until trans-lesbian black females run everything!” This is crazy nonsense.

Hegseth won’t be running a Fox talk show if he’s confirmed. He will have absolute power to fire any general officer who doesn’t meet Trump’s political standards. The Wall Street Journal reports that the transition team is already drafting an executive order for a “warrior board” to recommend generals and admirals for dismissal. A Journal editorial Thursday sounded the right warning: “The military isn’t Mr. Trump’s enemy, and a purge mentality will court political trouble and demoralize the ranks.”

Loose talk about court-martialing retired Gen. Mark A. Milley, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, adds to the poisonous atmosphere. Milley is a target because he stood up to bullying from Trump and his supporters. [Continue reading…]