皮特·赫格塞斯靠强硬派形象保住了职位，但他与共和党议员的关系从未如此糟糕。国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯通过展示力量形象在职位上存活下来。
Pete Hegseth has held onto his job by projecting a tough guy image, but his relationship with Republican lawmakers has never been worse. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has survived in office by projecting an image of strength.
他的好斗风格赢得了特朗普总统的赞扬和共和党基本盘的支持。“他热爱战争，”特朗普今年早些时候拍了拍赫格塞斯的二头肌说道。
His combative style has won praise from President Trump and support from the Republican base. “He loves war,” Mr. Trump said earlier this year, slapping Mr. Hegseth on the biceps.
但从许多指标来看，赫格塞斯从未如此弱势。他正带领军队经历一场不得人心的战争。国会共和党人私下里——且越来越公开地——抱怨他及其幕僚无视他们的提问，且频繁在简报会上准备不足。
By many measures, though, Mr. Hegseth has never been weaker. He is leading the military through an unpopular war. Republicans in Congress complain privately — and increasingly in public — that he and his staff are dismissive of their questions and frequently unprepared for briefings.
如果民主党赢得众议院多数席位，赫格塞斯很可能面临新的弹劾呼声。
If Democrats win a majority in the House, Mr. Hegseth will likely face new calls for his impeachment.
赫格塞斯解职并边缘化高级军官，往往不加解释，这加剧了不信任，导致许多高层质疑他的领导力。
Mr. Hegseth’s firing and sidelining of senior military officers, often with no explanation, has fed mistrust and led many in the top ranks to question his leadership.
赫格塞斯如何处理其强硬派形象与在华盛顿及世界各地日益暴露的脆弱性之间的矛盾，可能决定特朗普——赫格塞斯最终必须取悦的人——是否让他留任。
How Mr. Hegseth manages the contradiction between his tough guy image and his growing vulnerabilities in Washington and around the world could determine whether Mr. Trump — the person Mr. Hegseth must ultimately please — keeps him in the job.
赫格塞斯最紧迫的问题在于伊朗，美国的战争没有结束迹象，以及国会山。在中期选举后，赫格塞斯将不得不说服持怀疑态度的国会通过1.5万亿美元的国防预算，并确认关键五角大楼职位的提名人。他的几项人选正被参议院共和党人阻挠。
Mr. Hegseth’s most immediate problems are in Iran, where the U.S. war shows no signs of ending, and on Capitol Hill. In the aftermath of the midterm elections, Mr. Hegseth will have to persuade a skeptical Congress to pass a $1.5 trillion defense budget and confirm nominees for key Pentagon posts. Several of his choices are being blocked by Republicans in the Senate.