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A former Army lieutenant general stated on Wednesday that he was concerned about the Defense SecretaryPete Hegseth’sspeech during the commencement ceremony at West Point this past weekend.

Hegseth talked about his typical culture-war issues, like eliminatingDiversity, Equity, and Inclusionprogramming from the military, during the speech. However, it was the Secretary’s remarks regarding the Trump administration’s support for service members that concerned General.Mark Hertling, the former head of the U.S. Army in Europe.

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Regardless of the situation, President [Donald] Trump and I will support you when difficult choices are necessary,” Hegseth stated in his speech. “Especially those made in an instant during the intensity of combat. No matter what. No matter whether the decision is correct or incorrect. Whether it comes from the right individual or the wrong one. For the right motives or the wrong ones. Your hands are free. No matter what, we will stand by your side.

Hertling responded to Hegseth’s address during anew episodeof the “Bulwark Takes” podcast. He concurred with co-host Ben Parker’s view that Hegseth had effectively offered the military an “open license to commit war crimes.”

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When discussing the idea of ignoring all legal consequences and expecting the president, the commander-in-chief, and the secretary of defense, his main advisor on defense issues, to declare, ‘No matter what, we will support you’ — that’s simply not accurate,” Hertling stated. “We have witnessed this in a few instances during this administration, where… war criminals, individuals who killed civilians, were set free and released.

“That, in my opinion, will lead to a decrease in discipline within the organization and result in issues, which could endanger our country,” he added.