What is Hegseth so scared of?

I spent thirty years in uniform, much of it in the Pacific, and served as commodore of Destroyer Squadron 15 while embarked on the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan from 2017 to 2019. Buzz Donnelly, who was Reagan’s commanding officer at the time, was a peer, a friend, and an exceptional naval officer.

But Buzz’s Trump-approved, Senate-confirmed promotion to vice admiral and command of the Navy’s Seventh Fleet was just rescinded, reportedly because Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth decided that “hosting drag shows” while in command of Reagan during the first Trump administration wasn’t compatible with whatever “warrior ethos” is now required to lead the fleet. Hegseth’s office has declined to provide an official rationale, but on its face, this is absurd.

Let’s be clear about what actually happened. Every ship in the Navy, especially during long deployments, holds morale events: talent shows, lip-sync contests, comedy skits—anything to break up the monotony of life at sea. For generations, “crossing-the-line” ceremonies marking a sailor’s first cruise across the equator have often included a lighthearted “beauty pageant,” with sailors dressing up in wigs or dresses. It was never about division; it was about building camaraderie and keeping crews connected through long, demanding stretches at sea.

Aboard Reagan, a sailor who sometimes performed in drag took part in these talent shows. He was good at it, the crew enjoyed it, and it boosted morale without compromising readiness. Whether that sailor was gay, trans, or simply liked performing wasn’t something I asked or cared about, because it didn’t matter. It had nothing to do with his ability to stand the watch, do the job, or fight if called upon.

Buzz Donnelly understood that, too. He was responsible for the safety and readiness of thousands of sailors and one of the Navy’s most critical warfighting platforms in the world’s most complex theater. He did that job exceptionally well, and the Navy promoted him from captain to rear admiral in 2019. Since then, he has excelled as Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Korea, led Task Force 70, and served on the Navy staff in the Pentagon—all after his time on Reagan. That these talent shows are now grounds to block his promotion is beyond ridiculous.

What is Hegseth so scared of? For a man who constantly rants about “warrior ethos” and “toughness,” he seems terrified of a sailor in a dress—at a talent show, years ago. But this isn’t about toughness. It’s about political intimidation, and too many senior leaders who know better are staying silent.

The Navy needs leaders like Buzz Donnelly: leaders who know that warfighting readiness isn’t threatened by a sailor’s talent show, but by corrosive fear-mongering and political purity tests. Leadership means understanding what truly matters when preparing to fight and win the nation’s wars. It means building trust within your crew and standing by your people so they will stand by each other when it counts.

What’s happening now is a test—not for Buzz, who will step aside as we were trained to do—but for the Navy and the nation. It’s a test of whether we will let political opportunists undermine military readiness by turning inclusion and morale-building into culture war fodder. It’s a test of whether fear and opportunism will dictate who gets to serve—and who gets to lead.

I’ve seen what real toughness looks like. It’s the sailor standing watch in the middle of the night, the petty officer keeping the engines running during a casualty, the officer making life-and-death decisions in the fog of crisis. It’s not the loudest guy in the room yelling about “warrior culture.” And it’s certainly not a political commentator trying to score points by marginalizing a man who has spent his life leading sailors in defense of this country.

Buzz Donnelly deserves better. The Navy deserves better. And this country should demand better from those who would rather stoke fear than stand for principle.

If the Navy wants to continue earning the trust of its people—and if the nation wants its military led by the best—it needs leaders who know what truly counts.

And it needs those of us who know what leadership really looks like to say so, plainly, while it still matters.

Jon Duffy is a retired Navy captain whose active-duty career included command at sea and senior national security roles.