US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is in the middle of a growing storm within the Pentagon amid a string of leaks, internal conflicts, and personnel shakeouts that have derailed the Defense Department's leadership. The most recent tinderbox was fuelled after news emerged that Hegseth arranged for a classified briefing on China that was to feature Elon Musk, which caused a firestorm in President Trump's office and drew internal objections regarding Musk's corporate connections with Beijing, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The leak instigated a furious standoff between Hegseth and top military officers. Two officials briefed on the incident say that Hegseth charged that then-Acting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Adm. Christopher Grady, was the one who had leaked the information and vowed to administer him a polygraph examination. He repeated the warning for Joint Staff Director Lt. Gen. Doug Sims, increasing the tensions within the already fraying leadership team.
Internal distrust grows as probe widens
The classified briefing incident contributed to mounting suspicions about Hegseth's behaviour. Only a few days before that, it was reported that he had passed on sensitive combat information in unsecured group chats on the Signal messaging platform — one that contained his wife, brother, and private attorney. The Pentagon's inspector general is currently looking into Hegseth for suspected mishandling of classified information.
These controversies have triggered a series of resignations and dismissals. At least five political appointees have quit Hegseth's office, some of whom Hegseth has sent for possible criminal investigation. Some of the aides who were fired had been with him since his confirmation process and had been involved in key roles in handling the defence secretary's initial months in office.
Even as Trump publicly professed his backing — praising Hegseth as "great" and accusing "disgruntled staff" of the leaks — the president has started asking his advisors how he's doing and why, and paying closer attention to his public performances.
Leaks, paranoia, and a dwindling team
Internally, Hegseth has grown increasingly paranoid, charging close aides with betrayal and tightening his inner circle to a small group of loyalists. He has appointed a retiring Marine officer, Col. Ricky Buria, as his new top adviser and is poised to add longtime friend Sean Parnell to his personal staff. But chief positions — including chief of staff, deputy chief of staff, and senior adviser — are empty.
Hegseth's front office is now a revolving door, and Pentagon staff don't know whom to arrange for on sensitive issues. A senior official explains that there's a mad work environment in which new staff are waved off unexplainedly and old channels of communication have crumbled. His public image -- preserved by daily videos, Twitter postings, and exercises with soldiers -- is all the more pronounced because it exists so far away from the disorder in the rear.
In public comments, Hegseth has leaned into the controversy. "The media would say they call it chaos," he said during a recent speech at the US Army War College. "We call it overdue."
Signal app controversy and fallout
One of the most harmful instances included Hegseth's exchange of messages over the encrypted service Signal regarding military actions. While Hegseth has denied divulging classified information, describing the messages as "unclassified, informal coordinations," leaked messages purportedly contained sensitive information on US airstrikes in Yemen.
The Pentagon has declined to speak on the record, but officials off the record admit that each new leak creates additional national security issues. One senior official called the current climate "unsustainable."
Fallout spreads across Washington and abroad
The upheaval has not gone unnoticed on Capitol Hill. Republican staff members claim they've lost valuable points of contact following the sudden dismissals. One senator has called for Hegseth to be surrounded by seasoned aides. Dan Caldwell, one of the ousted advisers, has dismissed any involvement in the leaks and blamed the Pentagon for politicizing the probe to stifle dissenters.
Other governments are also adapting to the instability. Some of the officials find Hegseth personally friendly and even useful in backroom sessions, with nations such as Panama lobbying him in person. Others, however, perceive a leadership vacuum and characterize a skeleton staff ill-prepared to manage global military policy.
Trump's "golden boy" under fire
Hegseth, a former Army National Guard major and Fox News television host, was a divisive pick for Defense Secretary, with critics pointing to his inexperience. He was given charge of an $800 billion department with two million employees and had on the table from Trump immediate plans to increase the defence budget to $1 trillion.
And now, Hegseth is racing to get back in charge as chaos mounts around him. His attempts to present an air of confidence — through appearing aggressive in the media and defiant on social media — have not managed to quell whispers regarding his leadership capability.
With an inspector general probe under way, escalating personnel losses, and even allies questioning him, Hegseth's future at the Pentagon is in doubt. Whether Trump will continue to support his beleaguered defence secretary may hinge on whether Hegseth can ride out the tempest — or if he will be its next victim.
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