Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is under increasing internal pressure at the Pentagon as officials distribute a letter advocating for his dismissal. According to three Pentagon officials with over 20 years of experience, drafts of this letter have circulated among senior and mid-level military officers and civilian staff since May 2025.
The officials, speaking anonymously due to concerns about job security and potential prosecution by the Trump administration, stated that the letter highlights issues from politicized decision-making to widespread dysfunction and declining morale. They described Hegseth’s leadership as fostering a climate of paranoia focused on eliminating dissent within the military.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell defended Hegseth, labeling the letter as “palace intrigue” and dismissing the concerns as media gossip irrelevant to Americans. Nevertheless, the allegations suggest significant internal unrest in the Department of Defense under Hegseth’s leadership.
Whistleblowers pointed out Hegseth’s focus on optics, including setting up a makeup studio in the Pentagon, staging weightlifting photo ops with troops, and introducing new grooming policies for servicemen. An insider remarked that Hegseth seems to be transforming the military into a mix between a sweat lodge and professional wrestling entertainment.
The letter criticizes Hegseth for making decisions and implementing policies without consulting intelligence, security, or legal experts. This includes dispatching 4,000 National Guard troops in response to protests after immigration raids in Los Angeles, California, and independently halting an arms delivery to Ukraine in January 2025, which took the White House by surprise.
The dysfunction affects basic military operations, with officials citing Hegseth’s inconsistent attention to several military matters. These include defining the U.S. military’s role in space, setting a timeline for the Golden Dome missile defense system, and clarifying communication channels within the Pentagon.
Hegseth’s tenure has involved a significant reduction in military leadership. In May 2025, he ordered a 20 percent decrease in four-star officers and a 10 percent reduction in general-level officers. The dismissals included Air Force General Timothy Haugh, who led U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, General Charles Brown Jr., former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Linda Fagan, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, and Vice Adm. Yvette Davids, the first female head of the U.S. Naval Academy.
Five former defense secretaries, including retired General Jim Mattis, criticized the firings as reckless in a joint letter to Congress in early 2025. They urged immediate hearings to evaluate the national security implications of the dismissals, but Republican leaders have not scheduled such hearings.
Controversies around Hegseth began before his confirmation, with reports of alcohol abuse, a financial settlement over sexual assault allegations, and organizational mismanagement. His confirmation vote was tied, requiring Vice President JD Vance to cast the deciding vote, with Senators Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski, and Susan Collins voting against him.
Since assuming office, Hegseth has faced scrutiny over his handling of classified information. Reports surfaced that he shared flight schedules for military strikes against Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen through Signal messaging groups that included family members and The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg. The Pentagon inspector general expanded an investigation into these security breaches.
In response to leaks, Hegseth introduced new restrictions on press access at the Pentagon in May 2025, barring reporters from entering broad areas of the building without government escorts. These restrictions apply to his office, those of his top aides, and all locations where military service branches have press offices.
The Pentagon Press Association criticized these measures as an attack on press freedom, expressing concern over restricting journalists movement in non-secured, unclassified hallways, viewing it as a broader effort to limit media coverage of Pentagon activities.
Current Pentagon officials describe a workplace where staff feel pressured to attend Christian prayer services organized by Hegseth during work hours, despite being labeled optional. Sources also reported that Hegseth’s top aides have restricted communication between workers without any security, professional, or ethical justification.
The letter demanding Hegseth’s removal is expected to be public by late July 2025, according to Pentagon sources. They indicated that the document would formally request that the public be informed about what they view as Hegseth’s inability to lead the Department of Defense effectively.
Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, criticized Hegseth’s personnel decisions as arbitrary. Reed indicated that eliminating skilled and experienced officers’ positions without sound justification could cripple military efficiency.
Despite the growing pressure, the White House continues to support Hegseth publicly. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described reports critical of the Defense Secretary as part of a smear campaign against a change agent, denying suggestions that the administration was seeking a replacement.
