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'A climate of fear' at the Pentagon

wbur.org · last updated

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired or blocked promotions of 10% of the military’s top ranked officers.

Former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall says it’s created ‘a climate of fear throughout the entire institution.’

What’s going on inside the Pentagon, and what it means for the future of the U.S. military.

Guests

Frank Kendall, he spent roughly 20 years at the Pentagon and 11 years in active service.

The first draft of this transcript was created by Descript, an AI transcription tool. An On Point producer then thoroughly reviewed, corrected, and reformatted the transcript before publication. The use of this AI tool creates the capacity to provide these transcripts.

This program aired on September 14, 2026.

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