Given their glee at droning unarmed fishermen in the Caribbean, I would argue they are much farther along this axis than you realize.

Yeah, going to have to go ahead and disagree with you there boss. The man Hegseth in all his 'no quarter' bravado is only affirming his own mother's claim that he is a piece of shit. respectfully of course, I would not put it past him to kill some kids for a political or terrorism reason (the parents).