Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing growing opposition from Pentagon generals, including from the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs, as questions about his leadership grow.
According to a Saturday report from the New York Times, a recent decision by the former Fox News personality to deny a promotion to senior Army officer Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Sims II, because Hegseth believed he was a leaker, set off a furor at the Pentagon.
As the Times’ Greg Jaffe, Eric Schmitt and Helene Cooper reported, after Sims was cleared of allegations of leaking, Hegseth agreed to the promotion only to later change his mind.
“Mr. Hegseth’s sudden reversal prompted a rare intervention from Gen. Dan Caine, the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs. He urged Mr. Hegseth to reconsider,” the Times is reporting before adding, “Mr. Hegseth met with General Sims one final time but refused to budge.”
The report notes that the latest clash with the generals is part of a growing problem as questions grow about the embattled secretary’s performance.
“Mr. Hegseth’s actions could shape the military’s top ranks for years to come. His insistence on absolute loyalty, backed with repeated threats of polygraphs, also creates uncertainty and mistrust that threaten to undermine the readiness and effectiveness of the force,” Pentagon insiders told the Times.
With the report noting that firings and resignations have left Hegseth with a “skeleton staff of civilian aides to run his office,” the report adds, “The infighting, investigations and personnel churn have strained Mr. Hegseth’s ability to manage critical operations in the Pentagon.”
The Times is reporting that Pentagon officials have grown weary of Hegseth’s continual photo-ops, noting, “including one that he posted from Omaha Beach in Normandy in which he joins Army Rangers carrying a soldier on a stretcher as part of D-Day remembrances — are distractions that serve primarily to bolster his image.”
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