DeSantis wants ‘hard chargers’ in military leadership, get rid of ‘political nonsense’

Eric Daugherty contributed to this report.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Navy Veteran, recently shared his perspective on the type of military leaders he aims to promote and emphasized the need for strong and decisive individuals.

DeSantis highlighted his desire for military leaders who will not be bogged down by political influences in an interview with Eric Bolling on Newsmax.

“We want people who are going to be hard chargers,” DeSantis said. “We want people who aren’t going to deal with the political nonsense.”

The governor’s remarks sparked a discussion on the uniqueness of the military and its role in society, drawing comparisons to private institutions like Goldman Sachs.

“Our military should be unique in society,” the governor said. “It should not be a reflection of values at places like Goldman Sachs.”

Furthermore, DeSantis pledged to appoint a defense secretary who would courageously challenge the military industrial complex.

“We’ll have a secretary of defense that understands that, that’s going to have the backbone to be able to challenge the entrenched Military Industrial Complex,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis is set to participate in the first GOP debate, set to take place on August 23.

DeSantis released his second major policy platform of the 2024 presidential campaign in South Carolina focusing on enacting a “mission first” military and ridding the U.S. Armed Forces of “woke” ideology.

“There was no greater honor than knowing I was wearing the cloth of my country when I served in the military, but our nation’s once-proud fighting force has been infected and paralyzed by a political agenda,” DeSantis said. 

“It is time to rip the woke out of the military and return it to its core mission. We must restore a sense of confidence, conviction, and patriotic duty to our  institutions — and that begins with our military,” he continued.