THE UPCOMING BOOK "CRISIS OF
COMMAND" STUART SCHELLER JOINTS
US NOW.
LIEUTENANT COLONEL THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
REALLY APPRECIATE IT AND BY THE
WAY.
WE ONLY HAVE ABOUT FIVE MINUTES
HERE, COLONEL.
AND IF PEOPLE WANT MORE, THEY
GOT TO LISTEN TO YOUR INTERVIEW
WITH TUCKER CARLSON ON "TUCKER
CARLSON TODAY" AT FOX NATION.
YOU GO THROUGH YOUR ENTIRE
STORY.
IT’S ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING.
AND I’M GRATEFUL WHAT YOU HAVE
SPOKEN UP FOR.
ONE QUESTION I WANT TO ASK: YOU
STOOD UP FOR ACCOUNTABILITY WHEN
NO ONE ELSE DID.
BUT NO ONE ELSE HAS BEEN HELD
ACCOUNTABLE UP OR DOWN THE CHAIN
OF COMMAND.
DO YOU THINK YOUR STANCE
ULTIMATELY WAS EFFECTIVE?
>> PETE, FIRST OF ALL, THANKS
FOR HAVING ME ON THE SHOW.
AND, YOU KNOW.
I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU ASKING
THAT QUESTION.
BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE ASKING ME,
YOU KNOW, LOOK AT THE
SCOREBOARD, STU, YOU ARE LOSING.
YOU HAVEN’T AFFECTED CHANGE.
I JUST GOT OUT OF MARINE CORPS.
I HAVE ONLY BEEN OUT TWO WEEKS.
PETE, BRING ME BACK ON IN A YEAR
AND I WILL BE POINTING AT THE
SCOREBOARD.
I FULLY INTEND TO MAKE CHANGE.
I HAVE BEEN VERY SADDENED BY THE
AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THINK THIS IS
JUST THE WAY IT IS AND YOU CAN’T
MAKE CHANGE.
I BELIEVE WE CAN MAKE CHANGE AND
I BELIEVE WE WILL.
PETE: WELL, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE
SAID FROM THE BEGINNING THIS WAS
NEVER ABOUT POLITICS.
OTHER PEOPLE HAVE WANTED TO MAKE
IT POLITICAL.
IT WASN’T POLITICAL ABOUT FOR
YOU.
WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT KIND OF
CHANGE, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT
POLITICAL CHANGE?
ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT CHANGE
WITHIN THE MILITARY, THE KIND OF
RETRIBUTION YOU FACED FOR
SPEAKING OUT?
I MEAN, YOU TOOK ACCOUNTABILITY
FOR IT, BUT YOUR SUPERIORS WENT
AFTER YOU ALL THE WAY TO THE DAY
YOU WERE OUT OF THE MARINE
CORPS.
>> THE TARGET AT MY WRATH WHEN I
WAS IN THE MILITARY FOUR STAR
LEVEL.
WE EVER WINNING EVERY TACTICAL
BATTLE IN THE WARS LAST 20 YEARS
WHERE WE WERE FAILING
OPERATIONAL AND STRATEGIC LEVEL.
THE FOUR STAR GENERAL UP TO THE
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL AND NO
ONE IS ADDRESSING THOSE
PROBLEMS.
ALSO, I BELIEVE CONGRESS IS NOT
HOLDING THE MILITARY
ACCOUNTABLE.
THIS IS A TWO-PRONG APPROACH
WHERE WE NEED LEADERS, NOT
POLITICIANS AND WE ALSO NEED THE
MILITARY TO RECOGNIZE ITS
FAILURES SO THAT WE ARE NOT
PUTTING JUNIOR SERVICE MEMBERS
IN HARM’S WAY WHEN THERE IS
PREVENTABLE ATTACKS.
SO, YES, BOTH A POLITICAL AND A
MILITARY FOCUS OF WHAT I PLAN TO
CHANGE.
PETE: YOU RAISED A GREAT POINT,
LIEUTENANT COLONEL, AND IT’S
SUMMED UP IN A LINE THAT YOUR
LAWYER, USED IN YOUR SENTENCING
HEARING.
HE SAID THIS AND I THINK THIS
CRYSTALLIZES A LOT OF WHAT
PEOPLE DON’T UNDERSTAND AND YOU
CAN MAYBE UNPACK A LITTLE BIT
FOR US.
STU SAID THERE IS MORE
ACCOUNTABILITY FOR A CORPORAL
WHO LOSES HIS RIFLE THAN A
GENERAL WHO LOSES A WAR.
WHY IS THAT INSIDE TODAY’S
MILITARY?
>> I THINK MOST AMERICANS
LIONIZE GENERALS, THEY WANT TO
SHOW APPRECIATION TO GENERALS.
THEY THINK RE MILITARY GENERALS
ARE VERY SMART.
DID YOU GO BACK TO ABRAHAM
LINCOLN AND LOOK AT HIM.
LOOK AT HOW MANY GENERALS HE HAD
TO FIRE.
LOOK HOW MANY GENERALS WE FIRED
IN WORLD WAR II.
WE HAVE GOTTEN AWAY FROM THAT I
DON’T KNOW WHY WE HAVE GOTTEN
AWAY INTEREST THAT BUT WE NEED
TO GET BACK TO OPEN CRITICISM,
TAKING A HARD BOOK AT WHERE WE
ARE FAILING, AND HOLDING THEM
ACCOUNTABLE.
PETE: DO YOU THINK IT’S
ULTIMATELY ONCE YOU BECOME A
GENERAL YOU ARE ULTIMATELY IN A
POLITICAL REALM, MANY OF WHICH
DON’T HAVE COMBAT EXPERIENCE SO
THE WHOLE -- EACH THE WAY THEY
TREATED YOU ALL THE WAY UP TO
THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY AND
COMMANDANT, THEY ARE GOING TO
CLOSE RANKS, SQUASH ANY
CRITICISM TO PRESERVE THEIR
CAREER?
IS THERE A LOT OF THAT GOING ON
INSIDE THE MILITARY TODAY?
>> I THINK MY SITUATION IS A
PERFECT EXAMPLE OF HOW IT COULD
HAVE BEEN HANDLED BETTER.
I DO THINK THAT MANY GENERALS
FIGURED OUT HOW TO NAVIGATE
THEIR CAREER AND THAT BECOMES
THE FOCUS.
MAYBE MORE SO THAN HONESTY
AND -- AN HONEST ASSESSMENT OF
HOW WE COULD DO BETTER.
IF YOU START RUFFLING FEATHERS
IT MAY COME AT RISK TO YOUR
PERSONAL POSITION.
SO THERE IS ABSOLUTELY SOME OF
THAT I MEAN, THE SECRETARY OF
THE NAVY, HE IS SUPPOSED TO TAKE
MY DISCHARGE.
HE WAS TOO SCARED TO EVEN TAKE
THE DISCHARGE THAT WAS ROUTED TO
HIM.
HE HAD THE UNDER SECRETARY OF
THE NAVY ENDORSE IT BECAUSE HE
DIDN’T WANT TO GET HIS HANDS
DIRTY.
IT GOES BACK TO WE NEED LEADERS,
NOT POLITICIANS.
SO I WAS REALLY DISAPPOINTED TO
SEE THAT.
PETE: IT’S SO AMAZING.
SO YOU WRITE A LETTER EXPLAINING
YOUR POSITION.
THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY
DOESN’T EVEN WANT TO READ IT.
AND PUSHES IT OFF TO SOMEBODY
ELSE.
YOU HAVE SAID SOMETHING THOUGH,
LIEUTENANT COLONEL ON A PODCAST
IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS WEEK WHICH
CAUGHT SOME PEOPLE’S EYE.
YOU SAID, QUOTE, I’M PROBABLY
GOING TO JUMP INTO A RACE IN
2024.
SO, UNPACK THAT FOR US A LITTLE
BIT.
YOU SAID YOU’RE READY TO GET
INVOLVED, CHECK BACK WITH YOU,
AND WE WILL.
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING TO
POTENTIALLY JUMP INTO HERE?
>> THE BOTTOM LINE, PETE, IS
AMERICA IS THE GREATEST COUNTRY
IN THE WORLD.
I AM A CONSERVATIVE BUT I HAVE
DEDICATED MY WHOLE LIFE TO
FOREIGN DIPLOMACY.
I HAVE GOT THREE SONS GROWING UP
AND I WANT TO LEAVE THIS PLACE
BETTER AFTER I LEAVE FOR MY
SONS.
AND SO, NOW THAT I’M OUT OF THE
MILITARY, I THINK THE WAY TO
MAKE DIFFERENCE IS THROUGH
POLITICS.
YOU KNOW, I HAVE JUST GONE
THROUGH A LOT.
SO I DON’T THINK ’ 2 MAKES
SENSE.
THERE ARE WAYS I CAN INFLUENCE
THE 2022 ELECTION CYCLE WITH
LEADERS I WANT TO PUT IN OFFICE.
I THINK IN ’24 THE TIME WILL BE
RIGHT WHERE I WANT TO THROW MY
NAME IN THE HAT AND TRY TO MAKE
THE CHANGES THAT I BELIEVE NEED
OCCUR FOR OUR COUNTRY TO REMAIN
RELEVANT IN THE FOREIGN
DIPLOMACY SPHERE.
PETE: I WOULD BE REMISS IF I
DIDN’T ASK BECAUSE THIS IS
POLITICS.
A STATE, A DISTRICT, A
PARTICULAR POSITION?
>> I’M NOT THERE YET, PETE.
I’M OBVIOUSLY LOOKING AT THE
FIELD.
BUT THERE’S A LOT CHANGING WITH
REDISTRICTING RIGHT NOW BASED ON
THE CENSUS.
SO I HAVE GOT LET THE LANDSCAPE
KIND OF SETTLE.
I WILL REASSESS.
I WILL LOOK AT WHERE I’M AT AND
WE WILL GO FROM THERE.
CLASSIC POLITICIAN ANSWER.
PETE: THAT IS A GREAT ANSWER.
TRUE.
BUT, YOU KNOW WHAT?
YOU SHOWED THE KIND OF BACK --
YOU CAN GIVE THAT KIND OF ANSWER
BECAUSE YOU SHOWED THE KIND OF
BACKBONE THE VAST MAJORITY OF
POLITICIANS WOULD NEVER SHOW TO
CUT AGAINST THE GRAIN AND PUT
THE CAREER ON THE LINE TO SPEAK
TRUTH TO TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY
WHEN NO ONE ELSE DID.
YOU DID TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY.
YOU LIVED WITH THAT AND NOW YOU
ARE MOVING FORWARD TO THE NEXT
STEP.
LIEUTENANT COLONEL STUART
SCHELLER THANK YOU FOR HAVING
THAT COURAGE.
FOR SPEAKING FOR SO MANY WHO
COULDN’T SPEAK AND DID YOU IN
UNIFORM.
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE BOOK.
"CRISIS OF COMMAND."
AS YOU MENTIONED YOU CAN CATCH
THE FULL INTERVIEW OF STUART
SCHELLER ON "TUCKER CARLSON
TODAY."
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US THIS