Text: Retired Lieutenant General Bin Hodges on “confronting the nation with Margaret Brennan”, October 5, 2025

Below is a copy of the interview with retired Lieutenant General Bin Hodges, who broadcast “confrontation with the nation with Margaret Brennan” on October 5, 2025.

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Margaret Brennan: We are now moving to the former American army commander in Europe, retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges. And joins us from Germany. Welcome to “Facing the Nation”.

General Lieutenant (retired) Ben Hodges: Thank you very much, Margaret.

Margaret Brennan: I want to pick up as we stopped with Senator Dakright, a beneficiary of the purple heart at the time that serves this country in fighting. Men and women have different basic fitness standards. The secretary said, in his statements in Quantico, that women- or that he suggested that women had been declared or detained on low standards of fitness requirements. Do you think that changing it in the male standard is necessary?

LT. The general. (RET.) Hodges: I think this is completely unnecessary. I have 38 years in the army, and we have served with women in all different types of environments and bulletins, and I had no case that the soldier was unable to do what to do. So this- it seems to me that it is unnecessary, which is an approach in the Middle Ages, which does not reflect the requirements that we have for women and smart men, who are able to work in a modern battle environment.

Margaret Brennan: Defense Minister made these statements in Quantico last week, as you know, I ordered in our senior military officers to hear his hearing what he talked about in terms of changing the rules of engagement, these are the rules of behavior and standards to make the war less brutal. This secretary said.

(Sot)

Minister Beit Hetta: We are also not fighting with stupid engagement rules. We solve the hands of our war fighters to intimidate, chase and enemies of our country’s enemies. No more political engagement rules. Just common sense, the maximum girl and power for war fighters.

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Margaret Brennan: What do you make from these directives for officers?

LT. The general. (RET.) Hodges: Well, this will not help anyone accomplish their mission. I mean, when you think about the tasks that we had in Afghanistan, for example, and I think this is where some of his experience comes. It was to protect Afghan civilians so that they could re -establish the government and secure themselves, and therefore it was not a matter of the Taliban that could kill him. We have already tried it, and it didn’t work. So the rules of engagement are not “politically correct”. They are not aimed at making it difficult for soldiers or units to do their work. They are actually part of the task. Why are we there and so I have no experience as it will help kill many innocents or violate the Geneva Convention to accomplish the mission. I think the idea that we should make us in one way or another that makes us better and more effective by people who do not worry about the law will be bad for us in the long term as well, and both of them are psychologists, but also the confidence of the American people, our allies and our American forces, as we have always seen what we see to international law, and this is the place where a lot of respect came. We do not want to be like the Russian army, and certainly do not worry about the rules of engagement.

Margaret Brennan: The Geneva Conventions are something written by Al -Amin, as a private citizen, in his book and wondered whether they should be followed at all. He said: “What if we deal with the enemy the way we treated us?” And if I mean, you may talk about al-Qaeda and the use of some of their tactics, it- their arms explode and feed them on pigs. I mean, this seems difficult, but in terms of practice, does it risk the lives of those who are rug companies, those who are on the ground, to deliver this message from the highest levels?

LT. The general. (RET. I do not think that anyone will say that Dwight Eisenhower woke up and here he was- the chief of staff of the army, then the commander of the supreme allies, then the president. Therefore, during his period, this helped the United States establish and sign the Geneva Conventions. So, here is a man with wartime fighting experience and experience more than almost anyone. Now, when you think about modern war, especially when it contradicts terrorism, just as Minister Rubio was describing earlier in your program, people, how you deal with the enemy and how to deal with the population, is how to defeat the rebellion. And the killing of everyone on the horizon is not how to defeat the rebellion.

Margaret Brennan: When Defense Minister Higseth launched the senior military lawyers who advise the killing, here are some tips that he gave to senior leaders this week.

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Minister Beit Hetta: You kill people and break things in order to live in this profession, and you feel comfortable within the violence so that our citizens can live in peace. The girl is our communication card and winning our only acceptable final case.

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Margaret Brennan: What do you think this means?

Ben Hodges: Well, first and foremost, it is not associated with how these things happen, and how wars win. First of all, the political leadership must describe the final state. What will we do? Why do we send forces somewhere? What is supposed to accomplish? Usually, this will not be by killing everyone on the horizon. So I cannot- I think there is a separation between this idea that it is all about killing and that we kill people and break things. This- this is not the slogan of any unit from the army I was 38 years old. It was always a matter of completing the task that was appointed to us, implementing every legal matter, doing this in a way that protects civilians and guarantees the protection of all our soldiers and returning home safely. The idea of ​​breaking things and killing people, this is what the Russians did in Boch and Mariolbol. This is not from us. We are free and democratic country soldiers.

Margaret Brennan: The president also spoke in this gathering. He referred to “the enemy inside.” He also talked about the use of American cities such as Chicago as training reasons. Are you comfortable with the people who think about it?

LT. The general. (Retired) Hodges: Well, look, I think first and foremost, the US military- our citizens should be confident that the US military will always implement legal orders. Therefore, it is concerned when all judges, army, or military lawyers are dismissed or sent because the leaders need a legal advisor upon receiving orders and they look at these complex situations, but our forces will transfer legal orders. I guarantee you that there is no soldier who wants to use force against the American people.

Margaret Brennan: First Lieutenant, thank you for seeing you. We have to leave it there.