The New Face of Authoritarian Violence
The Dark Psychology Behind Hegseth’s New War Gospel (Decoded)
The New Face of Authoritarian Violence
The Dark Psychology Behind Hegseth’s New War Gospel (Decoded)
The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #671: Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025.
READ THIS BEFORE YOU MISREAD ME
Before I begin swinging this sledgehammer…let me tell you exactly what you’re reading…and what you’re not.
I am NOT a legal expert.
I’m not a JAG officer. I’m not a military attorney. I’m not a LOAC scholar. And I’m not here pretending to be.
My expertise is in psychology…human behavior…
…and the art of breaking the complex into language that the average working man…the welder…the truck driver…the teacher…the nurse…the line cook…the single mom…can actually understand.
That skill wasn’t gifted to me.
It damn sure wasn’t inherited.
And it wasn’t natural.
In K–12…I struggled.
Hard.
Reading comprehension didn’t come easily.
School was something I survived in spite of…not because of…the system.
But after high school…I made one life-altering decision:
I chose to learn how to learn.
I chose to understand complex things…by breaking them into pieces I myself could understand…and then…as time went on…I became incredibly good at translating those pieces into something others…could understand too.
That one decision changed my life.
I went from learning-disabled to Magna Cum Laude.
All the way through graduate studies.
Not because I had genetic horsepower.
But because I built my own damn engine.
And part of that engine…a major part…is the ability to work closely with people who do have world-class expertise. The ones who fill in the gaps for me… so that I can translate their knowledge…for you.
This article is one of those times.
Over the past several days…I’ve been in deep conversation with one of my closest friends…a third-generation JAG officer who knows the Laws of Armed Conflict the way a surgeon knows anatomy. The man grew up on UCMJ doctrine the way some kids grew up on baseball.
And after everything he and I discussed…let me tell you…
Pete Hegseth’s recent legal chest-thumping about “kill them all,” LOAC…cartels…targeting law…and rules of war is not just wrong. It’s reckless. It’s dangerous. It’s propaganda dressed up as patriotism.
I saw a simpleton online firing off a handful of simpleton one-liners. I’ve brought a few of them below…so we can lay them on the table…slice them open…and watch the nonsense…leak out. I trust you’ll enjoy the experience.,
Now let’s get into it.
Buckle up.
This one’s…going to burn.
The Myth Of Toughness: Why Pete Hegseth’s Rhetoric Is NOT Courage…But Coward’s Patriotism
This whole meltdown started with the now-infamous claim that Pete Hegseth… Trump’s Secretary of Defense…allegedly told U.S. forces:
“Kill them all.”
And when people dared question the legality…morality…or strategic intelligence of such a thing…Hegseth’s defenders went berserk online with a series of smug… condescending claims about how the Laws of War supposedly work.
Claims like:
“The Laws of Armed Conflict don’t apply because Congress didn’t declare war.”
“You can strike a sinking boat full of wounded twice.”
“It’s not murder if they’re designated terrorists.”
This is the kind of talk guys use…when they’ve never had to stand in front of a JAG officer…and explain a battlefield decision.
This is talk for unserious people…who want to flap their chops on social media..and sound like they know what they’re talking about…when they have no idea.
This is bar-stool geopolitics with a GoPro.
And it’s wrong.
Not morally wrong…though it is.
Factually wrong.
Dangerously wrong.
Let’s Translate This Pile Of Nonsense…ONE. LIE. AT. A. TIME.
We’re going to take each of the claims made by Hegseth’s defenders…and torch them.
Not with opinion.
Not with political feelings.
But with basic…foundational LOAC principles…every real military leader actually learns.
And because I promised to translate this into everyday..blue-collar clarity…
Here we go.
FALSE CLAIM #1:
“The Laws of War don’t apply because Congress didn’t declare war.”
This is the kind of statement that tells you the person saying it spent more time watching Rambo than studying field manuals.
LOAC/IHL applies when:
an armed conflict exists…
NOT when Congress signs a piece of paper.
The U.S. has only declared war five times in its entire history.
Yet we’ve:
invaded Panama
invaded Grenada
fought in Korea
fought in Vietnam
invaded Iraq
invaded Afghanistan
conducted counterterror campaigns in a dozen countries
run drone wars across the Middle East and Africa
LOAC applied…every single time.
If your entire understanding of war hinges on whether Congress filled out the correct forms…
You don’t understand war.
You don’t understand law.
And you damn sure…shouldn’t be advising soldiers.
FALSE CLAIM #2:
“You can strike a sinking boat full of wounded twice.”
This is where ignorance stops being harmless…and starts being lethal.
Under LOAC…a combatant becomes hors de combat (out of the fight) if:
they’re wounded…
incapacitated…
or attempting surrender.
Once they’re hors de combat…intentionally killing them is:
murder…
a war crime…
and a direct violation of every U.S. military ROE on the books.
You can strike again IF the target is still:
armed…
capable of attack…
presenting hostile intent…
or functioning as a military objective.
You CANNOT strike again if the threat is gone.
This isn’t complicated.
It’s literally day-one training.
Which makes the chest-thumping “WRONG!” replies from Hegseth’s defenders even more embarrassing.
FALSE CLAIM #3:
“It’s not murder to kill designated terrorists.”
This is the most dangerous lie of all.
Because it reduces human beings to a label…that magically removes all legal constraints.
Here’s what my JAG friend reminded me:
Designated terrorist ≠ continuously targetable combatant.
You must still determine:
hostile act
hostile intent
ongoing participation in hostilities
proportionality
military necessity
A guy who built an IED two months ago but today is:
unarmed…
in a non-combat zone…
not directly participating in hostilities…
…is NOT a lawful target.
Killing him…is murder.
End of story.
FALSE CLAIM #4:
“Cartels are terrorists so the military can kill them.”
Cartels are not automatically:
combatants…
legitimate military objectives…
or targetable by the DoD under existing AUMF authorities.
Declaring them “narco-terrorists” doesn’t magically create new legal authority.
Words don’t change law.
Even if Trump…and Hegseth…want them to.
Why This Matters: When Politicians Play Soldier, Real Soldiers Pay The Price
When Pete Hegseth…a political appointee…not a military strategist…opens his mouth…
…and starts barking illegal orders like “kill them all,” he doesn’t bear the weight of what happens next.
The privates do.
The corporals do.
The sergeants do.
And if the order is illegal…and this one is…they’re the ones who go to prison.
Not him.
They’re the ones who get court-martialed.
Not him.
They’re the ones who end up testifying before tribunals.
Not him.
Hegseth…gets a Fox News hit.
They…get a dishonorable discharge.
Hegseth gets applause from the online tough-guy crowd.
They get a war-crimes brief.
This is why the military has a very simple…very real rule:
You must disobey illegal orders.
And there are no orders more illegal than:
“kill them all,”
blanket targeting…
indiscriminate use of force…
or directives that bypass distinction…necessity…and proportionality.
This isn’t political.
It isn’t partisan.
It’s not “wokeness” or “weakness.”
It’s literally the bedrock of U.S. military ethics.
You cannot run a country on vengeance…bravado…and slogans.
At least…not one you want to keep.
The Psychology Of This Moment: Why This Rhetoric Appeals To The Weak…NOT The Strong
Let’s talk psychology for a second.
People who shout “kill them all” are not strong.
They’re not brave.
They’re not warriors.
They’re afraid.
And trying desperately…to sound tough enough that no one notices.
Real strength is controlled.
Measured.
Precise.
Disciplined.
Real soldiers talk about:
ROE
liability
collateral damage
escalation of force
distinction
proportionality
detainee handling
reporting requirements
Posers talk about:
“taking the gloves off,”
“brutal force,”
“no rules,”
and “kill them all.”
You can tell instantly who knows war… and who watched war movies. (or…in some cases…individuals who experienced war…but lacked the psychological stability to navigate it within legal boundaries…and who returned home…compensating loudly… continually trying to signal a toughness…they don’t actually feel.)
Why This Moment Is So Dangerous For Americans
When a Secretary of Defense uses the language of war criminals…
And his supporters cheer it on…
And online influencers tell you the laws of war don’t apply…
And the public shrugs…
You are watching the slow-motion collapse of the single thing that separates us…from the regimes we claim to oppose:
Accountability.
Discipline.
And the rule of law.
Once you normalize unlawful orders…you don’t get to pick where it stops.
It won’t just be “kill the cartel.”
Or “kill the terrorists.”
Or “kill the smugglers.”
It becomes:
“kill the enemies of the movement,”
“kill the ones who resist,”
“kill the ones we accuse,”
“kill the ones who object.”
Every authoritarian slide in history begins with two steps:
Label your enemy subhuman.
Remove legal protections from them.
Pete Hegseth…just took both steps.
And smiled.
The Bottom Line: Pete Hegseth Is Wrong…And Dangerously So
This entire episode boils down to one truth that every veteran, every lawyer, and every genuine patriot already knows:
“Kill them all” is not strength.
It’s not strategy.
And…it’s not American.
It’s an illegal order.
It’s a reckless ideology.
And it’s the battle cry…of people who want to sound tough…without understanding the cost.
The people who will pay that cost…are the ones we’ve always relied on to save us… the service members who actually live under LOAC, UCMJ, and ROE.
Not the politicians who posture on TV.
Not the commentators who cheer from the sidelines.
And not…Pete Hegseth.
What You Just Read…And Why It Matters
You didn’t just read a legal breakdown.
You read a translation.
A translator…me…taking the expertise of people far smarter than I am…and turning it into something you can see…understand…and feel in your bones.
I don’t have legal expertise.
But I have access to those who do.
And I have the one gift that saved my life:
the ability to take complexity…and render it into clarity.
That’s all this is.
We cannot allow illegal…immoral…and strategically idiotic directives…to be normalized.
We cannot cheer for war crimes…because we’re angry.
And we cannot allow Pete Hegseth to drag this country into a moral ditch under the guise of “toughness.”
Real leadership isn’t tough talk.
Real leadership is knowing when force is lawful…when it’s not…and having the discipline to follow the rules even when you’re furious.
That’s what separates us from the savages we claim to fight.
And…it always will.
I’m Working On A Big Story For Tomorrow…One That Is Still Developing
I’m connecting the dots…and the direction is chilling…to say the least.
Don’t miss it. Be watching.
Stay strong. Stay full of grit and tenacity. And…#HoldFast.
Back soon,
-Jack
P.S.
Someone asked me this weekend, “Jack, do you even have a social life anymore?”
Short answer: no. Not in the traditional sense.
Since launching The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter…my social calendar has been replaced by writing…researching…digging…interviewing…posting on social media…and trying to make sense of a world on fire. And honestly? I love it.
This moment demands everything I’ve got…and I’m honored to give it. How many people find themselves this fortunate, just a few months away from their 60th Birthday? I feel more alive than I ever have. (Okay, not at 6:00 am…but the rest of the time.)
But here’s the truth….
I do have a social life.
My wife. My three kids. Our four dogs.
These are my people. These are my roots. They enrich my life in ways public nights out…never could. That social life is vibrant…deep…and perfect.
I hope you have something similar…at least on some meaningful scale…in your own life.
#HoldFast
Thanks for the breakdown Jack! My first thought when I read his “kill them all” statement was “spoken like a coward”. He wasn’t doing actual killing. But I heard Rachel Maddow on Nicole Wallace today talking about Hegseth and she actually well described what I have been saying to my husband since the first boat strikes. That when I envision Hegseth, he has a video game controller in his hand and he is behaving like he is playing a war video game with these strikes. The difference is that this is real life, with real people. He confirmed it when he posted that disturbing animated meme with the turtle. This is a power trip game to him. Real People’s lives be damned. I can’t remember her words, but it described what I have been saying. The guy is monstrously dangerous and needs to go. Will Congress finally do something?
There was a time when most people either served in the military or had a family member that did. Those days are gone. The majority of Americans think it's like tv or movies: Shoot first, ask questions later. In reality, most military members are in support positions, at least four to anyone in a combat position. These include food service, supply, finance, admin, personnel, and medical. All of us except chaplains had to qualify with a weapon, usually an M-16, but shooting people was not our primary task. I joined during the first Gulf War, but it was over before I made it to Basic Training and training to operate a secure communications device, a job I ended up never doing. I found myself at V Corps HQ in Germany working as an Administrative Specialist for a Special Operations liaison unit to V Corps. It was the best time in my life.