Judging Freedom - Chief Dennis Fritz : What’s Behind the Anger in the Ranks?

Episode Date: March 19, 2026

Chief Dennis Fritz : What’s Behind the Anger in the Ranks?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Undeclared wars are commonplace. Pragically, our government engages in preemptive war, otherwise known as aggression with no complaints from the American people. Sadly, we have become accustomed to living with the illegitimate use of force by government. To develop a truly free society, the issue of initiating force must be understood and rejected. What if sometimes to love your country you had to alter or abolish the government? the government? What if Jefferson was right? What if that government is best, which governs least?

What if it is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong? What if it is better to perish fighting for freedom than to live as a slave? What if freedom's greatest hour of danger is now? Hi, everyone. Judge Andrew Napolitano here for Judging Freedom. Today is Thursday, March 19, 26, Chief Dennis Fritz joins us now. Chief Fritz, a pleasure, my dear friend. Thank you very much for joining us. Thank you for accommodating my schedule. Sure. From your perspective as a career non-commissioned officer, as the highest ranking non-commissioned officer in the Air Force, can you evaluate the Pentagon's preparation for this war of choice that Israel and the United States are waging against Iran.

Well, Judge, let me just first say this, and you're correct. During my last 10 years of military service, I was responsible for cumulative over 100,000 men and women in our United States Air Force under the three different commands that I was the senior enlisted leader. And I'm, must tell you, I got in this crusade of trying to end this continuous war on the Middle East on behalf of those men and women. Because these men and women that we so cherish are pawns in these foreign policy schemes. And you ask the question, are they prepared? Well, as I go around and have discussions, you know, I say, fool us one. the Iraq war, the Bush administration, shame on them.

Fool us twice, shame on us, this war that we have started in Iran. We in the military were not prepared for this, and the United States of America was not prepared for this. And I am very disheartened by what our administration has done in starting this ill-advised illegal war that will be used and our men and women as pawns on lies once again. Why the rush to war without preparation? Because Netanyahu demanded it?

Well, Judge, that is part of it. But I must tell you, it was written. And what do I mean by that? In my last job in the Pentagon, I put together, along with three others, at the maximum time it was four. I put together what we would call the Pentagon Papers, of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

And what was discovered in those papers, and I can talk about this because I put together on behalf of the government an unclassified version of those two wars. And I can tell you that this rushed to war, you remember this, the rush to war in Iraq is being rushed to war by Bibi Netanyahu and the Israeli lobby.

I saw the playbook. This is not assumption, opinion, or fact. rushing the war because BB saw his time running out, whether it be because Trump will not have an opportunity because here in the United States, the midterm election were coming up and is looking like Trump with his party was going to lose. B.B. saw that. Also, B.B. has his own problems in Israel. And so this rush to war, likewise, as we did in Iraq, is based on because of the fact that it's B.B. for all the time he's been in politics, he has won it to the defeat of Iraq, Syria, and Iran.

And Iran was this last phase. And that is why it is this rush to war. Why? As I tell folks, you don't have to believe me. Just listen to the words of BB or the president in our case, Trump. Bibi has said, the time is right. Why? Because we perceive Iran as being weak.

So whether we're prepared or ready for this or not. we must go now. And that is so disgraceful to not only to our men and women in uniform, but to the United States of America and the world. And in particular, we talk about the world, the Middle East as itself, because I will tell you, I find it amazing that we're always going to war so-so

in the defense of freedom and to save others. And I find it amazing that we do it by killing. Well, you know who agrees with you? is the recently resigned counterterrorism chief of the federal government, Joe Kent. In his letter to President Trump, he said two very important things. First, Iran offers no imminent threat to the United States. Second, the only reason we're in this war is because you, Mr. President, have been persuaded to do so by Israel and by the Israeli lobby in the United States,

especially in the medium, period. It could have been written by you. Well, Judge, let me just say this. I may not agree with some of the past things that he has said, but in this regard, he is absolutely right. And let me take a step further, Judge. Once again, not an opinion, not an assumption, but a fact. We here in the United States of America, we are an occupied country. And what I mean by that? Not militarily, but politically. The Israeli lobby has bought and paid for our Congress.

That's why you don't see them. I hate to, you know, I try to stay apolitical. But in this regard, I'm going to talk about the president and his followers in the Republican Party. They're just standing by while we go off to war on behalf of Israel, bought and paid for by the Israeli lobby. And that is a fact, not an opinion or assumption. All you have to do is go to the A-PAC, website and you'll see it for yourselves how they brag about how they have caused the winning

of many political campaigns all because of them and their support of Israel. So Newsweek is reporting that a United States F-35, you can tell us what that is in a minute, was hit by Iranian fire and forced to make an emergency landing. The captain or the pilot is injured but alive and apparently his injuries are not life-threatening. What's an F-35 and what would it take to hit it? Well, I'm glad you should ask that question. F-35 is what we call our joint fighter aircraft. It is used by not only the Air Force.

I think it's one of the only aircraft that is used by not only the Air Force, but the Navy and the Marines as well. And I will tell you that I'm surprised, first of all, that we would announce that. So it must have been seen by others who probably videoed the emergency landing of it. But it's a joint fighter. And in fact, just to go into history of that, I spotted the F-35. When I first retired for the military and got called back to the Pentagon,

I was the security manager for the F-35 program, which is probably the most cost-overrun and most expensive weapon system probably we've had in history. And it's had some failures as well. The Secretary of Defense, who calls himself the Secretary of War, stated as recently as four or five hours ago that the United States had total control over the airways over Iran. I guess that's not true if one of his planes was shot down today. What only is it not true, Judge. I mean, the Iranians are being very calculated.

You talk about, well, we're ready for this, we planned out for this. They have been planning this for decades. You know, as I have stated before in the past that Iraq was first, Syria, deaths, and then Iran was last. We were saving them for last. Why? Because we knew they were going to be the most prepared. We knew they had those ballistic missiles. We knew those ballistic missiles were accurate and very powerful, which now the world is seeing. And so, hey, I am not surprised that we're seeing it on a daily basis. Oh, the war has spoken over in a day. The war was floating over in a couple of days. The war was floating over in a couple of days. days. Oh, we've really decimated their weapon systems. We really decimated the defense. Where each and every day, we see that is an outright lie by our Secretary of Defense, not Secretary of War, which he wants to be called, but it should be the Secretary of Defense because we should be about defending our nation, not starting wars. Today, he asked, this will drive you crazy if you don't know it, and you probably do know it,

for another $200 billion from the Congress with which to fight the war. Chief, his budget is a trillion. His budget next year is a trillion and a half. What the hell did they do with that money if they need another $200 billion? You know, Judge, that is the most devastating news other than the deaths that we hear about,

not only our military men and women, but the deaths of civilians in Iran and in Lebanon right now, of course, Gaza. The next phase is all the money that we spend. Listen what you just said. $200 billion to kill people. Where does that money go? It goes to the military industrial complex.

He said we have to replenish what we have. Oh, by the way, he also stated that we have to replenish the end more. That money is almost like a Ponzi scheme. It's almost like we have to have these wars and so that we can give money. to the military industrial complex. That's a fact, not an opinion, not an assumption. That is where all that money is going. Why do U.S. presidents like to kill?

Judge, I don't know if they like to kill. You know, I've only heard, listen, since 1979, I've been in and out of the Pentagon since 1979. And I will tell you this is the most, I mean, just dangerous and most untrustworthy, most, I mean, I just don't know how to describe it, to talk about and glorify killing. Yes, of course, we're in the military. We are taught that we have to defend our nation,

but we've all figured out now that is all lies. It's about the military industrial complex. It's about imperialism, and it's about control of the world based on lies. This is the first administration. Now, I know during the George W. Bush administration, he had his man, man, about going to war. But this is the first administration I've known to glorify the killing of innocent women and children. And in fact, if you want to call it the enemy, those that

we're fighting against. But to glorify it, to make it into game, people are dying. And this is low down dirty. And I want to use the most, I don't want to curse, but this is low down dirty on our secretary of defense and the president of our United States to be on such a so-called excursion where we're killing people. So this is really the first administration. And mind you again, I've been in now the Pentagon since 1979. This is the first administration I've seen that glorified the killing of human beings. I understand that when enlisted men and women salute superior officers, they will often whisper

something pleasant and respectful like good morning sir good afternoon sir i also understand that today the troops when they salute not all of them but many of them enough enough so that the word has gotten back here superior officers they whisper epstein well judge here's what i would tell you in that regard i said earlier fool us once shame on them fool us twice shame shame on us. During the Iraq war, when I was on active duty, you know, we had sources of information to make us question why are we going into Iraq. They didn't have anything to do with 9-11. Now with social media and all the communications that goes on between service members, there are no different, especially our young troops, they are no different than civilian young people.

They're no different. So they follow social media. They know all about the Epstein foul. They're asking why are we going to war in Iran? They see the same thing. They see this broadcast. And they know, they know this can't be true. Bibi Netanyahu and certain members in our government depundits have been saying, oh, we're one week away from them having a nuclear weapon. We're two weeks away from having a nuclear weapon.

Imminent threat. They know that not to be true. And so they know, and listen, Judge, this is what disappoints me most. and I've said it before and I'll say it again. These general officers and these Navy admirals, they know, they know that Iran was no imminent threat to us. But yet they carry out these wars. Do you think their enlisted men and women want to trust them?

Well, I can tell you right now is a man that spent 28 years in the military. I don't trust them because they're carrying the luggage of a president and a lowdown dirty so-called secretary of defense that only cares about supporting the president in a way that he can kiss his behind. And now I'm being factual there. And I'm tired of this. I mean, we had 4,500 men and women killed in Iraq on a lie. Didn't we learn from that?

Thousands of Iraqis died on a lie. We got the most linest president that we've ever had in history. Do you believe him? Use your own common sense. use your own critical thinking. As you stated earlier, we had a gentleman that was at the highest level of the security arena that resigned based on, hey, I can't do this again of another former military member saying this war is based on lives. Wake up America. Wake up, citizens.

What do you do about it? But listen, I will tell you this, Judge, I hit me going off on this ramp. And I'm going to tell you something. Last summer, I walked the halls of Congress, both the House and the Senate. and it disturbed me when I saw Israeli flags sitting outside members of Congress. There's a gentleman that walks across the halls of Congress right now to say, Israel first or America first. You have members of Congress and staffers afraid to say America first.

Why I'm here to tell you right now, though I'm against this administration, though I'm against certain things our country we do, I am still America first before any other country, but this is my home. So I would ask the people, when you're in the halls of Congress, or when you're at local events by your members of Congress, ask them, America first or Israel first and see if you get the hesitation or they probably won't say anything. Oh, well, it's so complicated. No, it's not complicated. I live in America. I love America and I want to make America better. That's why I'm on this campaign. These wars have been lies on the backs of our men and women

with their lives and on the back of the American citizens with their treasure. You just said $200 billion dollars after asking for a trillion dollar budget. Give me a break to do what, to kill innocent women and children on the batch of our men and women in illegal wars. Once again, not an opinion, not an assumption, but a fact. You're very articulate, cheap, very, very forceful and articulate. I want you to watch this back and forth with Joe Kent's former boss, Tulsi Gabbard. and Senator John Ossoff of Georgia. The president often likes to take on other jobs like the chief designer of the White House.

Now apparently he's the chief intelligence officer. Watch this, Chris, cut number 21. Quote, Iran's nuclear enrichment program was obliterated, end quote. That's right. And is that, in fact, the assessment of the intelligence community? Yes. So the assessment of the intelligence community is that Iran, nuclear enrichment program was obliterated by last summer's airstrikes.

Yes. Was it the assessment of the intelligence community that there was an imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime? The intelligence community assessed that Iran maintained the intention to rebuild and to continue to grow their nuclear enrichment capability. Was it the assessment of the intelligence community that there was a, quote, imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime? Yes or no. Senator, the only person who can determine what is and is not an imminent

threat is the president. False. This is the worldwide threat searing where you present to Congress national intelligence, timely objective and independent of political considerations. Was it the intelligence community's assessment that nevertheless, despite this obliteration, there was a quote, imminent nuclear threat posed by the Iranian regime? Yes or no? It is not the intelligence community's responsibility to determine what is and is not an imminent threat.

It is precisely your responsibility to determine what constitutes a threat to the United States. This is the worldwide threats hearing. Who's right, Senator Ossoff or Director Gabbard? Let me just first say this, Judge. Of all the administrative figures, she has been the most disappointment to me. Yes, she is.

You know, I really supported her in the past. I truly supported her. I defended her. And now to make this bout face, ugly turn, and supporting this, what she know is a lie. It is so disappointed. I mean, and she disappointed many of veterans who supported her in the past

when she was indeed at the time telling the truth. Let me just say first say this. She is outright lying. The security community, they make the threat assessments. They provide those threat assessments to the president. And then the president then in turn, he or she will be. make the determination where it's a no go or go when it comes to war. They don't make the threat assessment and whether or not something is imminent or not.

The security community makes that assessment. And they say to the best of our knowledge, the best what we have, this is the threat assessment that war is imminent on attack is imminent. And then the president takes that information along with the National Security Council and then decide if we're going to go to war based on. Those threat assessments by the intelligence community. The president does not make the determination. Oh, it's imminent.

No, it is provided to him. And then he makes the final decision where it's a go or no go. Right, right. She is a great disappointment. But this is going to disappoint you even more. Chris, Senator Ossoff on the flag-draped coffins. I want to call everyone's attention again to this fundraising email signed by the president that Senator Kelly mentioned earlier,

in which the President of the United States invites his campaign donors to, quote, claim your spot, claim your spot, join now to receive private national security briefings to his political donors, featuring a photo of the president at a dignified transfer ceremony with a flag-draped coffin

of an American service member killed in action returning to their family. And the American people need to know that the president of the United States is fundraising for his political campaign and his PAC using images of American service members killed in action. And it's a disgrace. You ever heard of that? Well, Judge, let me just say this. And it gets me boiling.

I got in this crusade and campaign because of the Iraq. war. I told my former boss at the time, General Richard Myers, who was the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and I told another former boss of mine, shame on us if we don't take care of our war wounded when they come back and the families of those who die. Now listen, when I left the Pentagon, I still worked for the Pentagon, but I left the physical building of the Pentagon. The Air Force hired me to oversee the care of the United States. The Air Force, you know, of our war wounded. And Judge, here's what carries me all the way through this

and gets me so passionate about this. I personally saw the war wounded coming back from the zone. I watched a mom cry to be each and every day because her son's face was so tortured, lost both eyes from an IED. She cried every day in my arms. another wounded warrior. He lost both legs and an arm.

He told me, he cried to me, Chief, I'm no longer a man. By the way, his wife was seven months pregnant at the time. We had to bring her in from Florida to be with her husband, who had lost both legs and an arm. And he told me, Chief, and she was pregnant at the time. She's on the seventh floor having a baby, if I remember right, and he's on the floor below having his 20th surgery. he told me, Chief, I would never be able to hold my baby or run with my baby.

And then finally, I'm just using these just three examples of a wife, a 19-year-old wife. Her husband is brain dead. Her head swollen. The doctors were telling him, we need to pull the plug because he's dead. She has this dilemma. His mom and his honor saying, no, you're not going to pull that plug. 19-year-old young lady, she had to make that decision. all because a war based on lies.

Now we have a president that says, oh, we're on a short excursion. Oh, by the way, whether it was him or not that made that decision, they did it under his name, a campaign fund on the deaths of men and women who are at war now on a lie, on a lie. And he's raising money in his name. He should have disavowed that immediately soon as he heard about. He should have disavowed that. Now I'm asking the people, the American people, to use your own common sense, your own critical thinking. Just think about what you just saw. A campaign fundraising

on the backs of our men and women who are dying. As I stated earlier, pawns in these lying imperialistic wars. You're a great man, chief. You have a big heart and a clear head. Thank you very much for all you do. Thank you for joining us on the show today. All the best to you. We'll see you again soon. Thanks for having me again, Judge. Sure, sure. He truly is a great and passionate human being whose life work is now dedicated to manifesting the futility of war. Coming up next, if you're watching us live in 30 minutes at 2 o'clock this afternoon, Chief Fritz's colleague and compatriot, Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, And at 3 o'clock, Max Blumenthal, Judge Napolitano for judging freedom.