Director of Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit Resigns

Posted4 months agoActive4 months ago

anigbrowl

26 points

6 comments

reuters.comNewsstory

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Military DefenseDefense Innovation UnitResignation

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Military Defense

Defense Innovation Unit

Resignation

The sudden resignation of the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Unit chief has sparked intense debate, with commenters linking it to alleged political donations to Democrats and a potential purge within the Department of Defense. As one commenter put it, the situation reeks of "Autocratic Legalism," where rules are applied unevenly, sparking fears of a slide into fascism. The news is seen as part of a larger pattern of high-profile exits from the Pentagon, fueling concerns about the politicization of the military. With the administration's actions being likened to a "rules for thee, not for me" approach, the discussion is charged with anxiety about the erosion of democratic norms.

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Aug 25, 2025 at 5:42 PM EDT
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Discussion (6 comments)

Showing 6 comments

crmd

4 months ago

2 replies

> Three of the sources said officials at the Department of Defense had previously raised concerns about political donations made by Beck to Democrats.

If true, this is insane. I don’t understand how the US government firing an employee for personal campaign donations squares with modern interpretations of the first amendment.

toomanyrichies

4 months ago

1 reply

It doesn't. Nothing squares with anything anymore. "Rules for thee, not for me" is the name of the game from here on out.

Once you stop treating this administration like previous ones, and start treating it like the banana republic it is, things start to make much more sense.

crmd

4 months ago

It sounds like somewhere around level 4-7 of an Autocratic Legalism [1] strategy. Absolutely insane to see this happening in my home country.

1. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autocratic_legalism

SpicyLemonZest

4 months ago

1 reply

As the source article describes, it has nothing to do with the First Amendment. The Secretary of Defense is conducting a political purge of the Pentagon. The administration has stated repeatedly and at length that they expect personal loyalty to Donald Trump from the entire federal government, and that they have the right to remove anyone who doesn't show that loyalty or won't do what he wants.

ahartmetz

4 months ago

Fucking hell. You know how you turn democracy into fascism? Slowly, then suddenly. It has happened many times before.

dhko

4 months ago

> Beck's departure is the latest high-profile exit from the Pentagon. Last week, the chief of the Defense Intelligence Agency, head of the U.S. Naval Reserve and the commander of Naval Special Warfare Command were removed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Reuters previously reported.

It’s like working for the pigs in Angry Birds.

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ID: 45019396Type: storyLast synced: 11/20/2025, 11:20:08 AM

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