Pete Hegseth Pentagon tenure controversies 2026

Rubio told The New York Times that working for Trump until the end of his term has always been his plan.

The Washington Post reported that Trump might be considering ousting General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, or Centcom chief Admiral Brad Cooper.

Hegseth posted a video statement defending his record and denouncing the impeachment effort.

Thomas Massie has filed eight impeachment accusations against Hegseth and plans to force a House vote on impeachment.

Trump said on 23 March that Hegseth was the first to speak up in favor of military action against Iran.

Adam Smith, expected to lead the House armed services committee next year, promised vigorous oversight on the Iran war and the erosion of the apolitical foundation of the armed forces.

The 7-day plan was proposed last month and Tehran said the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened if conditions including ending hostilities and releasing frozen Iranian assets are met.

Sylvia has retired, according to ABC News citing two people familiar with the matter.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X that Iran continues to give diplomacy a chance to succeed.

Dozens of journalists surrendered their press badges rather than agree to new Pentagon media policies implemented by Hegseth last year.

A colleague of Sylvia told the Washington Post that the general rejected accusations that he leaked classified information but acknowledged he had previously communicated with members of the press.

Lt Gen Brett Sylvia served as the director for strategy, plans and policy on the joint staff.

Sylvia is the second person to be ousted from the J5 post under Hegseth.

A Pentagon official said Sylvia was the Defense Department's chief military planner but was not a central planner for the Iran war.

A Pentagon official said Sylvia failed three polygraphs questioning him about leaking classified information.

The case has been referred to the Department of Justice.

Sylvia earned a Bronze Star for Valor.

Sylvia was coordinating the Iran battle plan.

Sylvia retired from the U.S. Army after serving in the role for 11 months.

One source said Sylvia was removed from the position for a lack of confidence.

The Joint Staff's website now lists only the name of Vice Director Maj. Gen. Mark H. Slocum for the planning office.

The US has moved some military assets from South Korea and Japan to the Middle East over the past year.

The talks run from Wednesday to Thursday in the Philippines.

Bonnie Glaser is managing director of the German Marshall Fund's Indo-Pacific Program.

Ukraine said on Saturday that Starlink and Starshield were working at high speeds again after being disrupted the prior week.

Schiff said that either the president or Elon Musk is lying about what happened with Starlink in Ukraine.

The Trump administration denied that it requested changes to Starlink's operation in Ukraine.

The incident happened in February after Hegseth said he wanted the globe in his office.

The Washington Post first reported the incident Thursday.

The similar Eisenhower globe moved in Alabama was 4 feet high and had a diameter of around 40 inches.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an undisclosed visit to Israel.

The meeting occurred on Monday according to Axios.

Reuters could not immediately confirm the visit.

White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly reiterated that the US will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the midterm elections.

Vance travelled to Budapest and endorsed Viktor Orban in Hungarian elections earlier in the year.

Trump said on social media that Netanyahu had his 'Complete and Total Endorsement'.

Hegseth quipped "She thinks highly of me" after one outburst.

It is unclear how the protesters received credentials to attend the event known as AUSA.

The Association of the U.S. Army said attendees agree to abide by a code of conduct when entering the convention center.

Murphy visited Ras Laffan, the gas complex in Qatar where Iranian drone strikes halted LNG production early in the war.

Murphy said that if Democrats win one or both chambers in the midterm elections, there should be accountability and investigations.

Murphy said he would draft language requiring the Pentagon to give members of Congress access to overseas bases for inclusion in next year's appropriations and defense authorization bills.

Pete Hegseth is the US Secretary of Defense.

Hegseth addressed sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

The USS Abraham Lincoln was returning from a long, controversial Iran war deployment.

The Lincoln's crew suffered from supply disruptions caused by the start of the war that impacted food stocks.

The carrier group shot down 77 Iranian one-way attack drones and 21 anti-ship cruise missiles.

The USS Abraham Lincoln will have spent 321 days on deployment, the second-longest since the end of the Cold War.

Navy will host Tulsa the following weekend.

Navy's record dropped to 1-3 after the game.

Pete Hegseth spoke to cadets ahead of the Air Force-Navy football game.

Pete Hegseth views testosterone optimization as restoring natural capabilities, protecting longevity, and sustaining the fight.

The science behind the perceived benefits of testosterone replacement therapy for cisgender men is hotly debated.

The Trump administration is fighting hormone therapy for trans troops while suggesting testosterone replacement therapy for cisgender men.

Doug Wilson said in an NPR interview that he does not think his full vision for turning the US into a Christian theocracy will be realized for about 250 years.

Hegseth has been married three times and paid $50,000 to a woman who accused him of rape in 2017, which he denies.

Hegseth joined an evangelical church in 2018.

The Office of Religious Affairs will advocate for military chaplains and religious support at the highest level of the Department.

The Pentagon memo mentions faith-based initiatives supporting Department-wide suicide reduction.

President Donald Trump established a White House Faith Office and had a similar effort during his first term.

Newt Gingrich is included in Project Meridian.

Musk's America Pac spent $3.4m attacking Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan's Senate race.

Palmer Luckey claimed his company has working prototypes of subterranean systems.

In Hegseth's 2024 filing, an account listed as "U.S. bank #2" held between $15,001 and $50,000.

Hegseth is facing calls to be impeached from members of his own party related to his handling of the war in Iran.

Hegseth was confirmed as defense secretary in January 2025.

Pete Hegseth's Department of Defense welcomed Jake and Logan Paul to Washington DC to meet with military personnel and deliver a motivational speech.

Former Republican congressman and air force officer Adam Kinzinger wrote that the US is not a serious country at the moment.

Logan Paul said he does not think there is any greater commitment to sacrifice than those willing to live, die, and fight for their country.

Hegseth invoked the biblical words "Whom shall I send?", referencing Isaiah's declaration "Here am I. Send me."

Pete Hegseth is the US Secretary of Defence.

The tour comes amid growing public frustration over the Iran war.

Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesman, said the guidance addresses male testosterone deficiency and establishes uniform screening and treatment pathways across the DHA enterprise.

The Pentagon posted new guidance on Thursday for mandatory testosterone deficiency screening among male service members over age 30 in active duty or in the reserves.

A top adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the previously posted documents as a draft document that had been inadvertently posted.

Testing will take place during periodic health assessments and annual evaluations.

The new guidelines apply only to male service members and establish uniform screening standards and treatment pathways for testosterone deficiencies.

The Pentagon temporarily paused an earlier version of the policy in September to allow for updates.

The articles of impeachment against Hegseth include ignoring laws that minimize civilian casualties, administering an unlawful war in Yemen, ordering extrajudicial killings, suppressing free speech, and kidnapping a sovereign leader.

Thomas Massie seized the House floor for more than 67 minutes reading a 34-page resolution with eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Rep. Thomas Massie is described as an outgoing Republican representative who lost a primary earlier this summer after Trump endorsed his opponent.

Massie said the early recess would make it harder to reach 218 signatures on the Epstein Discharge Petition before the election, which had 190-plus signatures as of last night.

Rep. Thomas Massie unveiled plans to impeach Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Tuesday.

The House approved a war powers resolution Tuesday night on a 220-204 vote, ordering the White House to end the Iran war.

United States Representative Thomas Massie is forcing fellow Republicans to vote whether to impeach Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth over the US war on Iran.

A recent poll found fewer than a third of Americans support the war.

The resolution cites a U.S. strike on a school in Minab, Iran that killed more than 168 people.

Under the rules of the House of Representatives, the articles must be voted on by Thursday.

Massie lost his primary earlier this year after Donald Trump and Hegseth urged voters to oppose him.

Massie said Hegseth abused the powers entrusted to him as secretary of defence by subordinating constitutional limits on the use of military force to his own policy objectives.

Republican Representative Thomas Massie read articles of impeachment against Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in the US House of Representatives.

The Pentagon said it supports Hegseth.

Massie accused Hegseth of waging war without congressional approval, carrying out extrajudicial killings, and paying little mind to civilian casualties in military operations.

Massie lost his primary election in May to a Trump-backed challenger and spending by pro-Israel groups.

The impeachment resolution faces long odds of success in the Republican-majority US House of Representatives.

Tami Radabaugh, who worked as Hegseth's TV producer at Fox News, moved with him to the Defense Department as a senior adviser and was primarily responsible for orchestrating the '60 Minutes' presentation.

The interview with the pilot was not confirmed until mid-July and was taped in mid-August.

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, shared concerns about the interview potentially disclosing military tactics but decided to participate in the segment.

Trump posted on Truth Social that leakers are being hunted down and that long-term jail sentences will be sought.

Hegseth had not held a Pentagon news briefing on the war since early May.

Hegseth has restricted reporters' access at the Pentagon and fired journalists at the military newspaper Stars and Stripes.

Hegseth is a former Army National Guardsman and Fox News pundit.

Dan Driscoll stepped down as US Secretary of the Army.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe paid a visit to Moscow last month.

Trump named Adam Telle as acting secretary of the Army.

Vice President JD Vance said Driscoll was a very good friend and a great secretary of the Army.

Pentagon spokesperson Parnell said the Pentagon is unified behind Hegseth's vision.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth created a task force with the Department of Justice in July to speed up investigations into unauthorized disclosures.

The Pentagon dismissed the publisher and editor-in-chief of Stars and Stripes last month.

The Pentagon has not publicly confirmed details of the polygraph tests.

Staff members said the firing of the Stars and Stripes editor and publisher was direct retaliation for stories detailing deteriorating conditions on board the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.

President Donald Trump has publicly branded critical media coverage regarding munition shortages and the administration's handling of the conflict in Iran as treasonous.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the department takes leaks of national security information extremely seriously and investigates accordingly.

Pete Hegseth is a former Fox News host and Army National Guard veteran.

In September 2025, the Pentagon unveiled a policy requiring journalists to sign a pledge restricting their news gathering or lose media credentials.

Republican Senator Thom Tillis urged President Donald Trump to replace Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense.