Hegseth social media post mocking Canadian cadets draws criticism

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced widespread criticism on Tuesday after posting a social media message that mocked female members of Canada's youth cadet program. The post, made on Monday evening, targeted an image of a female instructor and a young cadet during an awards ceremony, drawing swift condemnation from Canadian officials, veterans, and former U.S. lawmakers. Hegseth shared a screenshot from the Instagram account of the Vernon Cadet Training Centre in British Columbia. The photo depicted a female officer from the Cadet Instructors Cadre presenting a medal to a young girl in a Canadian army cadet uniform. Hegseth captioned the image with a Canadian flag emoji and the words "this is real," a remark widely interpreted as a comment on the instructor's physical appearance. The post quickly garnered millions of views and immediate backlash. Critics pointed out that the Canadian Cadet Program is a federally funded youth initiative for individuals aged 12 to 17, not a frontline military unit. "Cadets do great work, and are not members of the military," wrote Canadian Member of Parliament Garnett Genuis in response.