Is Pete Hegseth’s macho culture fit for the military?

Pete Hegseth has turned the Pentagon into a stage for warrior bravado – renaming it the Department of War, ordering testosterone screening for troops over 30, and cheering on a US Navy jet's ultra-low flypast over a packed Florida beach.

Former RAF Air Vice-Marshal Sean Bell joins Tom and Patrick to give his verdict on Hegseth's shake-up of the US armed forces and to ask whether a similar culture could take hold in the British military.

Chapters:

00:00 — Pete Hegseth and the dangerous flybys08:50 — Who is Pete Hegseth?10:55 — Fitness, testosterone and the “warrior ethos”14:30 — Diversity, standards and the military beard debate21:40 — Does machismo belong in the military?

Guest: Sean Bell, Former Air Vice-Marshal in the Royal Air Force

Host: General Sir Patrick Sanders & Tom Newton Dunn

Patrick brings his experience as a former head of the British Army to the podcast. He is also a Conservative peer and advises the party on defence.

Producer: Elle Scott & Julia Webster

Exec Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Clips: US Department of War.

Image: Shaun Parkinson, Getty

Get in touch: generalandjournalist@thetimes.co.uk