‘Total chaos’: Hegseth’s unsettled Pentagon starts turning against him
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US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is under fire for allegedly sharing confidential information in a second Signal group chat that includes his wife and brother.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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WASHINGTON – Mr Pete Hegseth wanted to make waves at the Pentagon. But less than 90 days since being sworn in as US defence secretary, he appears put off balance by the very turbulence he created.
Mr Hegseth on April 21 accused his former trusted advisers of turning against him following revelations that he texted sensitive US military strike plans
“What a big surprise that a few leakers get fired and a bunch of hit pieces come out,” Mr Hegseth said on the White House lawn, his children standing behind him, for an Easter celebration.
The White House saw a conspiracy against Mr Hegseth stretching far beyond the small cadre of his once-loyal aides, who were fired after accusations that they leaked sensitive information, to include the Department of Defence itself.
The former Fox News host has moved with stunning speed to reshape the department, firing top generals and admirals as he seeks to implement President Donald Trump’s national security agenda and root out diversity initiatives that he says are discriminatory.
“This is what happens when the entire Pentagon is working against you and working against the monumental change that you are trying to implement,” said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.
So far, Mr Trump is standing firmly by Mr Hegseth
“He was put there to rid of a lot of bad people, and that is what he is doing,” Mr Trump told reporters.
The latest controversy comes after the dismissal of aides brought to the Pentagon by the Trump administration, firings triggered by a leak investigation ordered by Mr Hegseth’s chief of staff on March 21.
The dismissed aides include Mr Dan Caldwell, a long-time colleague of Mr Hegseth’s who became one of his most trusted advisers. He was escorted out of the Pentagon last week over leaks for which he denies responsibility. Also dismissed was Mr Hegseth’s deputy chief of staff, Mr Darin Selnick.
‘Total chaos’
Mr John Ullyot, who was ousted from his job as a Pentagon spokesperson after two months, said Mr Hegseth’s Defence Department was in “total chaos”.
“Hegseth is now presiding over a strange and baffling purge that will leave him without his two closest advisers of over a decade – Caldwell and Selnick – and without chiefs of staff for him and his deputy,” Mr Ullyot wrote in a blistering editorial published on April 20.
Mr Ullyot concluded that Mr Trump should fire Mr Hegseth, saying: “The dysfunction is now a major distraction for the President – who deserves better from his senior leadership.”
The latest upheaval at the Pentagon comes amid a widening purge of national security officials by the Trump administration that has reached every level of US military leadership, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the top Navy admiral and the military’s top lawyers.
It has also included lower-ranking officials, like Colonel Susan Myers, the commander of a US Space Force base in Greenland, who was fired earlier in April.
An e-mail she wrote appeared to question Vice-President J.D. Vance’s assertions during a March visit to Greenland, where he accused Denmark of failing to protect the island from “very aggressive incursions from Russia, and from China and other nations”.
A US defence official said the Pentagon, because of the presence of uniformed military officials, was an institution that under normal circumstances could run itself with basic policy guidance from elected officials.
But the confusion surrounding the building’s leadership was starting to erode that ability, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Another official said the firings of military officials by Mr Hegseth and those removed as a part of the leak investigation had created a climate of uncertainty within the Pentagon.
Mr Dan Caldwell, a trusted adviser of US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, was escorted out of the Pentagon last week.
PHOTO: JUSTIN GELLERSON/NYTIMES
The official added that it appeared that at times Mr Hegseth was more focused on minor issues that gain traction on social media among his conservative base rather than clearly communicating national security policies.
Mr Hegseth only narrowly won Senate confirmation. Many lawmakers expressed concern about his temperament and lack of experience, with three Republican senators voting against him.
Senator Roger Wicker, a Hegseth supporter and the Republican who leads the Senate Armed Services Committee, has requested an investigation by the Pentagon’s independent inspector into Mr Hegseth’s use of Signal.
That request followed revelations in March that Mr Hegseth had shared in a Signal chat group,
Democrats in Congress are increasingly calling for Mr Hegseth to step down.
“Hegseth has turned the Pentagon into a place of chaos,” said Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin.
“If he cared about the institution he’s leading, he should man up, acknowledge he’s a distraction to the military’s mission, and resign.” REUTERS
