United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is facing mounting scrutiny over his leadership of the Pentagon, with criticism now coming from within his own party. On Wednesday, Republican Senator Thom Tillis urged President Donald Trump to replace Hegseth, accusing the defense secretary of creating a “leadership void” at the top of the US military.
“I have never witnessed more inept management of the brave men and women who serve our country,” Tillis said. “He is intimidated by competence.” His remarks followed the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll on Monday, the latest high-ranking official to leave the Pentagon amid reported tensions with Hegseth.
Hegseth, a former Fox News host and Army National Guard veteran, was confirmed as defense secretary in January 2025 after a contentious Senate vote. Since taking office, he has pursued an aggressive effort to reshape the military, emphasizing lethality and what he calls the “warrior ethos.” But senior officials argue that his approach has produced instability and prioritized cultural battles over military readiness.
His tenure has been plagued by a series of controversies. The first major one came in March 2025, just two months after his appointment, when a member of the Trump administration inadvertently included Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, in a private Signal chat where officials discussed an impending attack on Yemen. Hegseth’s messages included details about the timing of aircraft launches and strikes. He insisted that no “war plans” had been shared, but experts disputed that, noting such information is typically classified.
The military prohibits the use of third-party platforms for operational security, and an inspector general’s report later indicated that any leak from the Signal chat could have put service members in harm’s way. Media reports also emerged that Hegseth had been involved in a second Signal chat with his wife, brother, and personal lawyer that included sensitive military information. He faced no formal punishment for these incidents.
Under Hegseth, the Pentagon has seen a sweeping turnover of senior military and civilian officials. Shortly after he assumed his role, several top military leaders were fired, including Navy Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Coast Guard Commandant Linda Fagan, and Charles Q. Brown, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Both Fagan and Franchetti were the first women to serve in their roles. The Trump administration cited “leadership deficiencies” and an “excessive focus” on diversity in explaining Fagan’s termination.
Hegseth has also removed dozens of names from top military promotion lists, a rare move for a Pentagon chief. Normally, candidates are identified by selection boards in various military branches, and the process is supposed to be apolitical. But Hegseth has reportedly knocked as many as 80 names off promotion lists, including those expected to be elevated to one- or two-star generals. Critics question his authority to block promotions, and many note that women and Black officers are disproportionately denied top-tier advancement.
Under Hegseth, the Pentagon has developed an increasingly adversarial relationship with journalists. His department restricted reporter access to the Pentagon press office, and in September 2025, unveiled a policy requiring journalists to sign a pledge restricting news gathering or lose their media credentials. That policy was blocked in March by a district court ruling that it violated First Amendment free speech protections. Further incidents have raised concerns, including a lawsuit by three Stars and Stripes journalists fired for speaking out about editorial independence.
Hegseth has made “lethality” a central tenet of the US military and pledged to jettison what he calls “stupid rules of engagement.” Since September 2, 2025, the US military has carried out a series of boat strikes in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, ostensibly to protect the US from “narco-terrorists.” But the identities of those killed remain largely unknown, and no public evidence has been presented against them. Legal experts have called the campaign a series of extrajudicial killings. Some families in Colombia, Trinidad, Ecuador, and elsewhere fear the victims were innocent fishermen. The death toll has reached 227.
In at least one case, Hegseth reportedly ordered a “double-tap” attack to kill survivors of an initial boat strike. He denied acting unlawfully, labeling coverage of the “double-tap” as “fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting.” He also framed the strikes as a corrective to Biden-era policies, writing, “Biden coddled terrorists, we kill them.”
Since February, the US has been embroiled in a war on Iran that has raised similar use-of-force concerns. Hegseth boasted of unleashing the US military to use “maximum authorities on the battlefield” against Iran—a statement commonly understood to mean loosening combat rules meant to protect civilians. Those comments drew criticism after a US Tomahawk missile struck an Iranian elementary school on the first day of the war, killing an estimated 170 people, mostly children. This week, Iranian officials accused the US of hitting a civilian wedding in Kuhestak, killing at least five and wounding more than 60.
Under Hegseth, the Pentagon has requested a record $1.5 trillion from Congress for the defense budget in fiscal year 2027. Critics argue the military is asking for a blank check without accounting for the 42-percent increase. The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft called the sum “unhinged.” Part of the funding likely offsets the costs of the US-Israel war on Iran, which Hegseth testified had already spent $37.5 billion.
Under Hegseth and Trump, the US military has embarked on several campaigns that appear to violate international law. On January 3, the US launched an operation to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and transport him to New York for trial. The Trump administration called it a domestic law enforcement action, but critics framed it as a violation of sovereignty. The US and Israel also launched the initial attacks that started the ongoing war on Iran, which legal experts have called an unprovoked war of choice.
Hegseth has rejected what he calls “wokeness” in the military, rolling back diversity policies and overseeing the expulsion of transgender service members. He has embraced traditional masculinity, including plans for testosterone testing among troops over 30 and new grooming standards under the slogan “No More Beardos.” He has also drawn scrutiny for leading regular Christian prayer services at the Pentagon and framing military actions in religious terms.
Source: www.aljazeera.com