Pentagon’s inner 'cold war' could undermine secretary’s survival, insiders say: report

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s future reportedly may be in jeopardy as multiple crises swirl around him amid the White House’s increased “scrutiny” into his leadership and a new report describing him as “polarizing.”

Inside Secretary Hegseth’s inner circle, “personality conflicts persist and inexperience reigns, fueling internal speculation about the defense secretary’s long-term viability in Trump’s Cabinet,” The Washington Post reported on Tuesday. Detailing “palpable friction,” sources told the Post that there is “a cold war that exists in between flash points” which is “unsettling.”

There is an “enduring rift” among Hegseth’s senior advisers that “has divided the Pentagon’s front office and fueled internal speculation about his long-term viability in the Cabinet post after several episodes that attracted White House scrutiny, according to numerous people familiar with the matter.”

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Among those “episodes” is the infamous “SignalGate,” where numerous top national defense and national security officials were caught using the encrypted app Signal, seen by some experts as insecure, to communicate what some claimed were classified intelligence, including plans for military operations.

In the wake of SignalGate, an investigation into leaking was cited as the cause for the ouster of three top Pentagon officials, who called their dismissal “unconscionable” and claim they have been slandered.

“We are incredibly disappointed by the manner in which our service at the Department of Defense ended. Unnamed Pentagon officials have slandered our character with baseless attacks on our way out the door, the three officials, Dan Caldwell, Colin Carroll, and Darin Selnick, said in a statement last month.

The Post notes that the “conflict within Hegseth’s inner circle persists” even after the purge and despite “attempts to portray a sense of unity among his remaining brain trust.”

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“His claims, however, are belied by continued behind-the-scenes dysfunction, brought on by unresolved personality conflicts, inexperience, vacancies in key leadership roles and a steady-state paranoia over what political crisis could emerge next, current and former officials said.”

Washington Post military affairs reporter Dan Lamothe’s report focuses on the “combustible relationship” between two top Hegseth senior advisors, Eric Geressy and Ricky Buria.

“I spoke with numerous current and former officials for this story,” Lamothe wrote on social media. “Many spoke with a sense of exasperation, especially when I raised” the “enduring clash” between the two advisors.

As for Hegseth’s future, the Post reports there remains “palpable” friction between Geressy and Buria, which “those familiar with the situation say … is emblematic of the instability that reigns at the Pentagon as Hegseth attempts to regain his footing after several scandals that irked the White House, alarmed Congress and left the former Fox News personality on the defensive.”

The Post adds that “current and former defense officials who have witnessed the upheaval say it is unclear how long the polarizing defense secretary can survive in his role without imposing order on his own staff.”