Why Pentagon Leadership Fires Are Not About ‘Culture Change’—A Retired General’s Perspective

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on April 30, 2026. (Photo by Graeme Sloan/Getty Images)

During recent budget testimony before the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth faced persistent questioning from lawmakers—across party lines—on multiple unrelated topics. One focal point was his dismissal of senior military leaders, including the highly respected Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Randy George.

Hegseth refused to disclose specific reasons for these personnel decisions. However, in outlining his broader objectives, he repeatedly invoked the need to “change the culture of the Department.” When pressed for details, he asserted that the military had drifted into “social engineering around race and gender” at the expense of “merit.” His proposed solution? A cultural overhaul to create an “unleashed” force that prioritizes “lethality.”

I find that explanation not just unconvincing but dangerously imprecise.

This assessment comes from a retired four-star general with four decades of military service, including combat leadership and subsequent academic work in organizational culture. During his career, he led soldiers in both operational and peacetime environments and later taught MBA students about culture in public and private organizations.

The U.S. military already possesses one of the strongest, most effective organizational cultures in the world. While no human institution is flawless, its foundation rests on trust, standards, discipline, and respect for every team member.

Secretary Hegseth’s praise for the force—its ability to train, deploy, synchronize combat power, operate as a joint team, manage complex logistics, and support personnel and families—did not materialize overnight. These capabilities evolved over decades of institutional learning, hard experience, and continuous training and adaptation.

Militaries must evolve. The nature of warfare is changing faster than at any point in my career. But transformation is not synonymous with cultural reinvention. Nor is it achieved by removing leaders under the banner of “culture change.”

Why ‘Culture Change’ Is a Misleading Slogan

It was only after retiring and entering the private sector—later teaching MBA students and researching organizational culture—that I fully grasped how elusive and often misunderstood the term “culture” truly is. Even accomplished executives struggle to define, measure, and shape it. Business schools nationwide analyze case studies on companies with strong cultures and those that fail—seeking to understand why.

That’s why hearing calls for “culture change” without a clear definition is alarming. In both business and the military, vague appeals to cultural reform often signal a lack of clarity, not vision.

One of the most widely cited definitions of organizational culture comes from a 2013 Harvard Business Review article by management consultant Michael Mankins. He describes culture as the combination of behaviors, systems, and symbols that define how an organization operates.