Pentagon criticizes Netflix series Boots as ideological departure

The Pentagon publicly criticized Netflix’s new military drama Boots a week after the series premiered, calling the show an ideological departure from current Defense Department priorities. The eight-episode series, which debuted on Oct. 9, follows a closeted recruit in 1990s Marine Corps boot camp and has ranked among the streaming service’s top-viewed titles since its release.

Boots, created by Andy Parker and based on former Marine Greg Cope White’s memoir The Pink Marine, stars Miles Heizer and Vera Farmiga. The series depicts a young man from Louisiana who enlists alongside his straight best friend and navigates the demands of recruit training while concealing his sexual orientation. It has drawn strong reviews and audience interest, registering high aggregate scores and sustained viewership in the days after its debut.

In a statement, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said the Defense Department under President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is focused on restoring what she described as the military’s "warrior ethos." Wilson added, "Our standards across the board are elite, uniform, and sex neutral because the weight of a rucksack or a human being...