Former US Counterinsurgency Instructor Rues Loss of American Leadership

Pete Hegseth, a former counterinsurgency instructor for the US army who served multiple tours in the Middle East, told reporters in Jerusalem on Tuesday that, “A world without American leadership is a world set adrift.” Hegseth, a retired major decorated for his service in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, is presently a contributor to FOXNews and author of “In the Arena” (Simon & Schuster). Visiting Israel on a fact-finding trip paid for by conservative Americans, Hegseth was highly critical of the Obama administration’s policies in the Middle East, admonishing what the founder of Vets for Freedom argued was its failure to “ruthlessly fight the Islamic State” – a precondition necessary for succeeding in the fight against the terrorist organization. Chiding the political left for its recent suggestions that global warming poses a greater threat to Americans than does ISIS, Hegseth argued that the environmental issue is faceless, and therefore an “easier” target than terrorists. Hegseth tried with mixed results to explain the policies and statements of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump one day after efforts by expatriate American Republicans to support the Trump candidacy kicked-off with a public rally to a notably poor turnout. Both parties have support organizations to capture as many of the estimated 350,000 potential votes in the US election that could be cast by those living in Israel.