Former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall stated that he would be unable to serve in his previous role if the current administration were in power, citing concerns about the politicization of the military.
"I couldn't serve this administration," Kendall told ABC News' Martha Raddatz on Sunday's "This Week." His declaration followed a critique of the Pentagon under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which Kendall described as an unprecedented attempt to politicize the armed forces.
Kendall, who served as Air Force Secretary from July 2021 to July 2023 under the Biden administration, expressed concern that this politicization is causing fear within the ranks and inflicting "long-term serious damage" on the military.
He emphasized the obligation of senior military officers to speak truth to power, even when it is difficult. "They're not doing that," he stated, referring to senior officers' interactions with political leadership.
Kendall's remarks echo sentiments he shared previously in an opinion piece for The New York Times and in an interview with CNN's Kaitlan Collins, where he alleged that Hegseth's actions were causing "active harm" to the Department of Defense. He warned that "two and a half more years" of such management could be "incredibly debilitating and destructive."