The U.S. Department of Defense—the Pentagon —is facing a leadership crisis while simultaneously under pressure regarding its capacity to conduct overseas warfare. Six months into the war with Iran, allegations have surfaced regarding major deficiencies under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in three key areas: top-level leadership, critical weapons stockpiles, and public accountability.
The biggest blow came on Monday with the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, a close friend and Yale Law School classmate of Vice President J.D. Vance. At one point, Driscoll had even been viewed as a potential successor to Hegseth.
Driscoll, who had been entrusted by Trump with handling sensitive diplomacy regarding the Ukraine issue, had been at odds with Hegseth for months over Army leadership and modernization. Prior to this, Hegseth had removed Army Chief of Staff General Randy George.
Driscoll’s resignation means the U.S. Army is now deprived of both Senate-confirmed civilian and military top leadership in the midst of the war with Iran.
Since taking office, Hegseth has removed or forced the resignation of top officials from nearly every military branch. These include the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Navy’s top admiral, and the Army Chief of Staff.
According to The Washington Post, more than two dozen top military officials have lost their posts during Hegseth’s tenure. Following his reorganization, the entire leadership of the Joint Chiefs has changed, with the exception of the heads of the Marine Corps and Space Force—the only two chiefs who were already in place when he took office.
The New York Times reported that Hegseth personally removed at least 45 officers from promotion lists this year.
Such interference is considered unprecedented, as political leadership in the U.S. typically stays removed from this process.
NBC News reported that Hegseth has blocked several additional promotions in recent weeks. These include more than a dozen Black, Hispanic, and female officers from various military branches.
However, the Pentagon has denied these allegations. Spokesperson Sean Parnell told Axios that claims of chaos within the Pentagon are “completely baseless” and “insulting” to the Department of Defense’s responsible officials and service members.
