The state of the American military under President Donald Trump’s second term is in disarray, with troops seeking to leave as conscientious objectors in “skyrocketing” numbers because of the gross mismanagement of the armed forces by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
According to reports, “the number of service members seeking a formal discharge from the military as conscientious objectors has skyrocketed, according to two groups that help them file their applications.” The groups – The Center on Conscience and War, and the GI Rights Hotline at the Quaker House – state that they’re seeing those rates higher than at any point in the last 25 years, and that most of them have been in the service for more than a decade.
Five service members spoke with MSNOW’s Priya Sidhar anonymously and pointed to orders from Hegseth in two separate conflicts. “The current leadership is so unpredictable,” one of the service members interviewed said of Hegseth’s decisions.
One soldier referenced their assignments in the war on Iran, stating that “they believe that they were asked to target and bomb civilian infrastructure, which is a violation of international humanitarian law.”
That service member raised concerns, but they were dismissed. It ultimately left them feeling as if “nothing I’m doing in the military is going to contribute to any sort of overall good in the world.”
The GI Rights Hotline at the Quaker House reported that they had 429 inquiries about filing as a conscientious objector in March and 440 in April. Counselor Lenore Yarger expreessed that the actual numbers don’t reflect those who’ve begun to apply, as there are 30 actively going through the process.
The reporting comes as Hegseth has been boasting about seeing military recruitment numbers rise. The bravado clashes with reports of incompetence by Hegesth, including a scathing article from the New York Times detailing how Hegseth’s forcing out of six top generals from the Army has left it “rudderless” as the nation enters its sixth month of fighting against Iran.
It also comes days after heavy coverage of the state of troops on the USS Abraham Lincoln was reported, with
Hegseth pushing back against those accounts by their family members.
