Senator Mark Kelly condemns Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s focus on killing

On Wednesday’s edition of MS NOW’s “The Briefing,” Senator Mark Kelly criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for repeatedly speaking about the U.S. military’s role in killing people, calling the attitude “not healthy.” Kelly pointed to Hegseth’s recent statements about achieving new records in the number of targets struck—citing figures of 10,000, then 12,000, and most recently 14,000. He highlighted a recent tragic error in which a Tomahawk missile struck an Iranian school, resulting in the deaths of more than 100 schoolgirls.

Kelly argued that such a focus on lethality clashes with the values and moral compass expected of the armed forces. He urged that the military should be seen as a professional institution guided by restraint and ethical conduct. The senator’s comments were made during a televised interview on the program.