Senior officers advised Hegseth to keep civilian-protection program. He axed it anyway

Shortly after taking office last year, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth polled the nation’s top commanders about cutting a program designed to protect civilians during U.S. military operations.Hegseth had bet senior officers would endorse his view that focusing on civilian security was “woke” and out of step with “maximum lethality,” current and former defense officials told ProPublica.Instead, every commander rebuffed the idea.The poll from early 2025, which has not