U.S. President Donald Trump at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, U.S., June 8, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth insist that they are making the U.S. Armed Forces more efficient by stamping out "woke" policies at the Pentagon and restoring what Hegseth calls a "warrior culture." But military insiders, according to CNN, fear that they are making the military dangerously unstable during wartime by firing experienced leaders.
CNN reporters Haley Britzky and Zachary Cohen point to the firing of Gen. Randy George, former U.S. Army chief of staff, in early April as a prime example of why insiders are worried. George brought many years of experience to the table, but Hegseth fired him before the general even had a chance to meet with the defense secretary and make his case.
"Hegseth has fired more than two dozen senior officers, pushed out a Navy secretary he clashed with, and reportedly intervened in promotions across the military branches directly shaping leadership," Britzky and Cohen report in a CNN article. "While the timing of George's firing was abrupt and unexpected, occurring while Army Secretary Dan Driscoll was out of town and catching senior Army leaders off guard, the firing itself was not. It was the culmination of months of tension between Hegseth and senior Army staff, and George in particular. Hegseth and other close Trump allies had been skeptical about George from the beginning, partially because George served as an aide to former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during the Biden years. The apolitical military assignment was one of several posts in a long career, which included commanding troops during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, that put George in a position to develop extensive relationships with lawmakers."
The CNN journalists add, "The firings and restricted access have been a cornerstone of Hegseth's tenure, though sources told CNN it is not limited to the secretary's office. The culture has permeated other offices in the Pentagon, creating a culture of infighting among some senior civilian leaders."
A Pentagon insider, interviewed on condition of anonymity, warned that under Hegseth's leadership, the Pentagon is suffering from "a lack of clear internal processes" that is "caused by mass paranoia."
The official told CNN, "Everything is a case-by-case basis because there's no delegation. There's no trust. And if there's no delegation or trust, policy decisions can't be made…. They act like we are the enemy."
The Pentagon official said of Hegseth, "He just has this deep-seeded distrust of the Army."
But despite all the unease at the Pentagon, Britzky and Cohen note, Trump is happy with Hegseth's performance as defense secretary.
"In his public appearances," according to the CNN reporters, "Hegseth often speaks directly to camera, and by extension, to Trump in a way the president likes, sources have told CNN. The president has thus far not shown a willingness to break with his defense secretary despite the drama simmering across the river. 'Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, central casting,' Trump said at a recent Cabinet hearing as Hegseth sat to his left. 'He loves war.'"