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Senior Military Leaders Need to Show the Courage to Take on the ‘Tough’ Questions, Says Retired Army Public Affairs Officer

July 18, 2025

Image: Wikimedia Commons (Air Force Staff Sgt. Brittany A. Chase)

A recent podcast by Shawn Ryan caught the attention of service members and veterans seeking accountability over the COVID-19 shot mandate.

Earlier this week, Fox News reported that, on July 14, “California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom was pressed to defend his COVID-19 record by podcast giant Joe Rogan.”

Newsom was a guest to former U.S. Navy SEAL Shawn Ryan’s podcast, but was quickly surprised to be fielding a question from Rogan. After dropping an expletive, the California governor confessed he was a fan of Rogan despite any criticism the podcaster might have of him.

The question: “Who will be held accountable for mandating COVID-19 vaccines for children, which were unnecessary and ineffective, and who will take responsibility for the unprecedented increases in myocarditis and cancer cases among them?”

“Second to that, do you feel any remorse for that draconian decision that was obviously heavily influenced by the pharmaceutical companies’ desire for maximum profit?” Newsom addressed the questions (minute mark 16:47), touting California’s response, and pointing to a coming “objective review” of what went right and what went wrong for the progressive policy-driven state during the pandemic.

Interestingly, the Fox News coverage of the exchange has caught the eye of several former service members and veterans affected by the shot mandate. The Gateway Pundit reached out to retired U.S. Army public affairs officer, writer, and host of the Finding Your Spine podcast, Dr. Chase Spears, for analysis through a military lens. Spears expressed satisfaction that Rogan and Ryan offered a venue in which Governor Newsom faced “tough” questions about his decisions.

“Newsom isn’t going to get a tough question on CNN, so it’s good to see the governor in a place where his staff cannot control the narrative,” Spears noted. “When someone presides over tremendous abuses of authority, they need to answer for their actions. The traditional press lauds itself for doing this, but in reality, that baton already passed to the realm of podcasters.”

Having retired from “an increasingly hostile” U.S. Army in 2023 after two decades of service, Spears desires to see senior military leaders “held to the same fire” for forcing transgenderism across the ranks, enforcing the unlawful COVID-19 mandate, emphasizing social engineering over combat training, and more. “Who helped preside over the transgendering in the military? Who helped preside over the COVID tyranny in the ranks since 2020?” In his opinion, “Senior military officials should face tough questions on their actions, just as some civilian policymakers now are.”

“Why has Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth given guidance to make things right with soldiers who were forced out over COVID, but there are still so-called leaders who are slow walking it and putting all the burden on the troops, still kicking people like Chief Warrant Officer 3 Brandon Budge out? Where is the disconnect, and why is it being allowed now a full six months after the inauguration?”

“I’d love to see leaders like Gen. Randy George asked the tough questions, but they’re not going to show up,” said Spears. To his point, J.M. Phelps sent a letter to Gen. George on June 5 to inquire about CW3 Budge’s predicament but has “been met with silence.”

 

“He’s not going to answer, nor would he ever join Ryan or Rogan on a podcast,” Spears expressed. “He and other senior military leaders won’t go near a microphone they don’t have control over because they’re far more terrified of a negative headline or a quote that doesn’t reflect well on them than they are of all out nuclear war.”

Nonetheless, he said, “I would love to see guys like Ryan and Rogan extend invitations to our military’s senior leaders to talk about issues like this. At least they could say they didn’t want to talk, or they could acknowledge the pithy public affairs statement their headquarters usually release on these topics fail the truth test and commit to do better going forward.”

For Spears, “Podcasters like Sean Ryan and Joe Rogan can be part of stopping the military from hiding behind this bogus apolitical narrative.” He asserted, “We have seen in recent years a very clear display that too many among the current corps of generals don’t even try to pretend they’re apolitical in their actions.”

“They bristle at such a charge, yet refuse to defend their actions to anyone not hand-selected to carry their narrative, like The Atlantic’s propagandized apologetic for Mark Milley. Let’s see how the generals fair in front of an interviewer who isn’t overwhelmed by the ribbons and stars,” challenged Spears. “For men who are expected to lead the military into war against China or Russia, a simple interview shouldn’t be intimidating.”

Spears encourages the “podcast giants” and legacy news media to invite other people in the military community who are willing to talk about ongoing harms imposed upon the military that still need to be addressed. He recommended some of his own guests like Navy Commander Rob Green, Army physical therapist Dr. Grant Smith, former Green Beret John Frankman, attorney Davis Younts, Air Force Colonel Brandi King, Air Force Major Brennan Schilperoort, and even himself.

“We’re all willing to speak openly about how the military got it so wrong and are, in many cases, still getting it wrong,” Spears offered. “These stories need to be told and we need honest influencers to not only ask tough questions at the state level but also do the same within the military.”

The post Senior Military Leaders Need to Show the Courage to Take on the ‘Tough’ Questions, Says Retired Army Public Affairs Officer appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.