Pentagon turmoil deepens as Hegseth consolidates control
The Pentagon has entered a period of profound institutional turmoil, as a crisis of leadership at home converges with a crisis of capacity abroad.
Why it matters: Six months into the Iran war, Pete Hegseth presides over a Pentagon with fewer senior leaders, fewer critical weapons and less public accountability than at any point in President Trump's two terms.
Zoom in: The most striking departure yet came Monday from Army Secretary Dan Driscoll — Vice President Vance's close friend and Yale Law classmate, once viewed as a potential successor to Hegseth himself.
Driscoll, a rising star whom Trump had tapped for sensitive diplomacy in Ukraine, resigned after months of clashes with Hegseth over the Army's leadership and modernization.
His exit, following Hegseth's firing of Army chief Gen.
Randy George , leaves the service without Senate-confirmed civilian or uniformed leadership in the midst of the Iran war.
Zoom out: Hegseth has fired or forced out senior officers across nearly every service, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the Navy's top admiral and the Army chief of staff.
The Washington Post counts more than two dozen top officers dismissed under Hegseth, who has remade nearly the entire Joint Chiefs.
Only the Marine Corps and Space Force chiefs he inherited are still serving.
The New York Times reports that Hegseth has also personally removed at least 45 officers from promotion lists this year — an extraordinary intervention in a system traditionally insulated from political leadership.
NBC News reported Tuesday that Hegseth has blocked more promotions in recent weeks, including more than a dozen Black, Hispanic or female officers across the services.
State of play: The cumulative effect is a thinner senior command at the precise moment the Iran war is testing the limits of what the U.S. military can sustain.
The Post reports that the commanders overseeing Europe, the Pacific and Latin America — along with the Navy's top officer — formally objected to extending forces for the Iran war.
They warned that prolonged deployments are degrading their ability to confront threats elsewhere.
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