# Hegseth’s Hollowing Out Of The Pentagon. 80 Generals Purged. A Downed Jet, A $100k Missile, And A 60 Minutes Propaganda Play. Media Blitz Pod

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff-981737/hegseth-s-hollowing-out-of-the-pentagon-80-generals-purged-a-downed-jet-a-100k-missile-and-a-60-minutes-propaganda-play-media-blitz-pod.md
Podcast: [Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff](https://stenobird.com/podcast/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff-981737)
Published: 2026-09-15T10:46:03+00:00
Episode link: https://bleav.com/shows/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff/episodes/hegseths-hollowing-out-of-the-pentagon-80-generals-purged-a-downed-jet-a-100k-missile-and-a-60-minutes-propaganda-play-media-blitz-pod/
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Duration seconds: 852

## Resource

An institution at war is being hollowed out from the inside. As many as 80 generals and admirals have been fired or had their promotions blocked. Trusted mentors with decades of combat leadership have been purged with no explanation. Key positions sit empty for months while deployments stretch to record lengths and munitions run short. Paul Rieckhoff joins MS NOW's Alicia Menendez and Pentagon reporter Priya Sridhar to lay out what's really happening under Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth — and why it should alarm every American, regardless of party.

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