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Pentagon Defends Hegseth’s Controversial Post About Canadian Cadet Program
The Pentagon defended the post after nearly 10 million views and widespread criticism over its apparent ridicule of the cadets.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sparked controversy on Tuesday by posting a social media image mocking female cadets from the Vernon Cadet Training Centre in British Columbia, captioning it, "This is real."
The incident escalates hostility between the nations, already strained by President Donald Trump's trade actions and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's Monday accusations that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney turned disputes into a political shouting match.
Last week, Trump taunted Canada about becoming the "51st" state and announced renaming Lake Ontario to "Lake America," prompting Canada to respond with 50 per cent tariffs on $US20 billion of American imports.
Prime Minister Mark Carney hit back, stating the insults are "beneath their office" and demanding U.S. officials "stop doing memes, stop throwing shade, stop trying to be tough and start being serious" about trade talks.
Hegseth's post followed Army Secretary Dan Driscoll's resignation amid long-standing departmental tensions, while the defense chief recently announced plans to monitor testosterone levels of male and female officers.