Hegseth’s Decadeslong Quest to Rewrite the Rules of Engagement

 https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/pete-hegseth-military-commentary-career-56727e2e?mod=hp_lead_pos1

Former Army National Guard major and TV personality endeared himself to Trump by defending troops accused of war crimes

Pete Hegseth built a national profile defending troops accused of violating the laws of armed conflict, a trait that won over President Trump in his first term and put him atop the Pentagon in his second.

But the defense secretary who has complained about “stupid rules of engagement” is now at the center of a Washington debate about whether a September strike against a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean amounts to a war crime, testing Hegseth’s standing with lawmakers and his leadership of the military.