Schlichter reportedly held a civilian Pentagon position

Kurt Schlichter has more than 620,000 followers on X and regularly posts in support of Hegseth’s anti-woke policies. Last month, as part of a Department of Defense investigation into influential people employed in civilian roles, the Washington Post found that Schlichter was one of several people given a government email address and assigned to the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.

The newspaper reported that Schlichter is listed in government databases under the designation “HQE,” which could stand for “highly qualified expert.” Schlichter confirmed on X that he is a civilian official who reportedly worked as part of a special committee focused on eliminating so-called woke ideology at military universities.

It remains unclear whether Schlichter is still working with the Pentagon.

Posts reveal authoritarian and anti-democratic views

What went unreported, according to WIRED, were Schlichter’s recent posts on social media and other platforms that emphasized an extremist and anti-democratic worldview. WIRED reviewed many of those posts.

“The Department of Defense was proud to have a group of patriotic civilians and military veterans like Kurt Schlichter contribute to the Senior Military College Task Force. There is nothing more important than developing future military leaders,” Pentagon spokesman Kingsley Wilson told WIRED.

Schlichter did not respond to requests for comment. Before joining the Pentagon, Wilson was also reported to have shared extremist content and antisemitic conspiracy theories, according to NPR.

In an August 2021 thread on X, Schlichter called for authoritarian oppression of “liberals.”

“We must force them to become like us by any means necessary, without any compromises,” Schlichter wrote.

In the thread, he advocated banning masks, unions, critical race theory and “left-wing media.” Last year, Hegseth’s Pentagon told journalists to sign a pledge restricting the information they could collect. Most leading journalists refused to sign and left the Pentagon.

In the same thread, Schlichter suggested that people who do not have children, serve in the military or own property should not be allowed to vote.

“Punishing a barren, unfamilial lifestyle through taxes and disqualification from political participation” and “establishing property and military service eligibility for voting,” he wrote.

Posts in the thread were shared a combined 10,000 times.

Schlichter praised Pinochet and Franco

Schlichter has also repeatedly expressed admiration for authoritarian leaders, including Chile’s Augusto Pinochet and Spain’s Francisco Franco.

In an post on X, Schlichter wrote that “Pinochet was too soft.” In May 2025, he cited a post calling on Trump to offer asylum to Spanish fascists and wrote, “Franco did nothing wrong.” In December 2025, he called Franco a “Spanish Patriot.”

Under Pinochet’s dictatorship, tens of thousands of citizens were tortured and thousands of political opponents disappeared. During the Spanish Civil War, Franco’s Nationalist Party executed tens of thousands of dissidents while systematically raping women.

He has attacked women, immigrants and minorities

Schlichter has also repeatedly and harshly attacked women and minorities. In a July 2026 article for the conservative website Townhall, he suggested that “liberal women” could bring about the end of Western civilization.

“These self-righteous old bastards are a pestilence on Western society, a bunch of stubborn ignorant feminists/chauvinists who are enacting their own personal psychodrama on the world stage, and whose antics, if left unchecked, will inevitably lead to the collapse of civilization,” he wrote.

In the same article, Schlichter attacked immigrants using derogatory language. In a post on X, he referred to immigrants as “Third World savages” and “half-human savages.”

The posts come as Hegseth reshapes the Pentagon

Hegseth has prioritized Christian nationalist ideology and promoted a “warrior spirit” at the Pentagon. He has also called for an “end of awakening” by attacking and shutting down diversity and inclusion efforts.

The Pentagon has also faced scrutiny over promotions involving Black and female officers and over criticism of service members who are considered overweight, according to NPR.