As If We Needed Another WWII Comparison

I'm a huge fan of Dan Carlin's Hardcore History Podcast. He provides long in-depth episodes on a multitude of historical eras and events. But one discussion he had somewhere along the lines makes me see modern day comparisons.

There was a discussion or point Dan Carlin made in at least one of his episodes comparing the German militaries of World War I and World War II. The comparison often focused on the military leaders and what kind of role they played in the wars. In World War I, the German army's leaders were promoted based primarily on merit and their ability wage war. When it comes to Nazi Germany in World War II, all too often a deciding factor for advancement in rank was how the leaders followed Nazi ideology. It might not have always been the case, but a military leader who was "better at his job" could often got passed over for promotion if he wasn't enough of a believer. Politics are always involved of course, but it's an interesting thought to consider whether better men might have been passed over because they didn't believe in what Hitler and the Nazi regime was pushing.

Fast forward to present time. Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth addressed the senior military leadership pushing their ideology and other topics. There's obviously very serious concern over Trump's "the enemy within" comments, but the other thing I almost wonder is if and/or how much we're going to see the leadership change to fit into Trump's MAGA mold, or how he believes the military should act. He's already fired several top military brass and I fear more might come should they not conform to MAGA ideology.

Different presidents across the history of the United States have always had their own beliefs which might have shaped bits and pieces of military leadership, but this feels like something completely different. One can only hope that none of it really ends up mattering.