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In August 2021, just days after the Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and the terror attack at the Kabul Airport that killed 13 United States military members, U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller Jr. posted a video to his Facebook page, fiercely criticizing the entire withdrawal operation.
A 17-year Marine veteran, Scheller, then 40 and a father of 3, said in the video that he realized he may be booted from his role as battalion commander, as well as potentially losing his retirement, for speaking out.
But speak out he did, despite the costs. “I have been fighting for 17 years. I am willing to throw it all away to say to my senior leaders, ‘I demand accountability,’” Scheller declared in the video.
For that, Scheller was discharged, thrown in jail for several days, slapped with a reprimand, fined thousands in wages, and he ultimately resigned from the Marines.
In January 2022, Scheller said, “I lost my retirement, I lost my marriage, I lost all my friends in the military, I lost my wife and I lost my way of life. But what if everybody remains silent, then where are we?”
Now, three years later, Scheller has been tapped to serve in the Trump administration. He announced the news in a Facebook post last week, on Trump’s Inauguration Day:
I was selected for a DoD position serving President Trump and SecDef Hegseth. For the first time in a while, I am filled with hope and optimism for our country, and words can’t express how humbled and excited I am to start the new position.
The transition team offered me the job two weeks ago, but I waited until the morning of the inauguration to make the information public. I didn’t want my announcement complicating the confirmation process. I truly believe Pete Hegseth is the SecDef warfighters deserve.
After Mr. Hegseth’s hearing last week, meritocracy and DEI have become topics of conversation. In fact, days after the hearing, the Commandant of the Marine Corps addressed the Pentagon press corps by saying, “We don’t do DEI in the Marine Corps; we never have. We are a meritocracy-based organization – always have been.”
Without pointing out all the documented facts countering the CMC’s statement, what should alarm every American is the speed at which senior military officers tell new political leadership whatever they want to hear. It is why America continues losing wars, and why DEI became prevalent in every service. We have yet to witness an active senior general officer accept accountability for any mistake in recent history.
Truth… DEI, incompetence, and moral weakness (telling people what they want to hear or not speaking up) are all symptoms of the larger problem: a system incentivizing career progression over performance.
I accepted the position of Senior Advisor to the DoD Under Secretary in personnel and readiness. The military’s people and readiness are my passion. The SecDef will outline a focus on culture, structure, posture, and equipping across the force, but I am sure the national security situation left by the incompetence of the last administration will monopolize his time. Concurrently, service leadership will focus on prioritizing realignment of resources and priorities within their respective services.
My goal will be looking across the force with a critical eye for talent identification. When we say meritocracy, it means more than codified standards. It means promoting the best of those who meet standards. Not everyone will outperform their peers, and those who don’t, shouldn’t be promoted. Promotion should be more than pleasing a boss, hitting wickets for career progression, or lethargically moving through a time-based system. Reference an opinion piece I wrote years ago on this topic; I will drop it in the comments. Said succinctly, I believe competition within the force is the best tool for identifying talent. The best performer, and the best at pleasing a boss, over time, are two very different things.
The details of this historic shift will start with a military planning process, of which the outputs will be briefed up the chain of command to the leaders of the United States. I hope to pull in the brightest minds for the process. Mahan started the sea power revolution. Mitchell started the air power revolution.
Well, bear witness to SecDef Hegseth, empowered by President Trump, starting a revolution focused on meritocracy, lethality, and warfighting. Eliminating weak leadership is step one. But realigning the incentives of the system should be the long-term goal. I will work tirelessly to make this vision a reality.
Thank you President Trump. Your leadership and tenacity affords my generation an incredible opportunity. Unlike the Marine generals who failed you in the previous administration, my generation will not fail. We cannot.
When truly the best Americans excel and are promoted across the military, the recruiting crisis will self-correct, global security stabilizes, and America becomes the beacon for hope.
MAWA… Make American Warfighters Again
The American people lifted me when I was at my lowest. I’ve made many mistakes. But I fought for what I thought was right. The critic in the comments doesn’t count.
I’m not religious, but I felt a voice in my jail cell assuring me good would triumph over evil. America is the land of the free because of the warriors. I devote my life to them.
Warfighting 6
Below is Scheller’s original video on August 26, 2021, which led to his ouster from the U.S. Marines:
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