Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon: A list of controversies that define his tenure

The defence secretary faces renewed scrutiny after a Republican senator called for his removal from the US cabinet.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has faced scrutiny for pursuing 'maximum lethality' during his term as Pentagon chief [File: AFP]

United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is facing increased scrutiny over his leadership of the Pentagon, with some of the criticism coming from within his own party.

On Wednesday, Republican Senator Thom Tillis urged President Donald Trump to replace Hegseth, accusing the defence secretary of creating a “leadership void” at the top of the US military.

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“I have never witnessed more inept management of the brave men and women who serve our country,” Tillis said. “He is intimidated by competence.”

Tillis’s comments came after the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll on Monday, the latest high-ranking official to leave the Pentagon amid reported tensions with Hegseth.

Driscoll’s departure followed a series of firings, forced retirements and blocked promotions among senior military leaders, causing concern about the stability of the Pentagon’s leadership.

Hegseth, a former Fox News host and Army National Guard veteran, was confirmed as defence secretary in January 2025 after a contentious Senate vote .

Since taking office, he has pursued an aggressive effort to reshape the military, emphasising lethality and what he calls the “warrior ethos” . But senior officials argue that his approach has produced instability and prioritised cultural battles over military readiness .

His tenure has also been plagued by a series of controversies. Here are some of the notable ones so far:

The first major controversy of Hegseth’s tenure came in March 2025, just two months after his appointment.

A member of the Trump administration had inadvertently included Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, in a private chat on the messaging app Signal , where officials were discussing an impending attack on Yemen.

Hegseth featured prominently in the discussion. His messages included details about the timing of aircraft launches and strikes.

But Hegseth insisted that no “war plans” had been shared across the platform. Experts, however, disputed that assertion, noting that details about an upcoming military operation are typically classified.

The military prohibits the use of third-party platforms for operational security, and an inspector general’s report later indicated any leak from the Signal chat could have put service members in harm’s way.

Media reports also emerged indicating that Hegseth had been involved in a second Signal chat with his wife, brother and personal lawyer that also included sensitive military information .

Hegseth faced no formal punishment for the incidents.

Hegseth’s Pentagon has undergone a sweeping turnover of senior military and civilian officials.

Shortly after Hegseth assumed his role, several top military leaders were fired, including Navy Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Coastguard Commandant Linda Fagan and Charles Q Brown, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Both Fagan and Franchetti were the first women to serve in their roles. In a statement explaining Fagan’s termination, the Trump administration cited “leadership deficiencies” and an “excessive focus” on diversity.

Other officials have left or chosen an early retirement. They include figures like Navy Admiral Alvin Holsey, who faced criticism for his participation in the military’s boat strike campaign in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean under Hegseth.

The departures have continued into 2026, with Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll leaving his post on Wednesday.

Hegseth has taken the step of removing dozens of names from top military promotion lists, a rare move for a Pentagon chief.

Normally, candidates are identified by selection boards in the various branches of the military to be top officers. The process is supposed to be apolitical.

But Hegseth has reportedly knocked as many as 80 names off promotion lists for top military offices, including those expected to be elevated to one- or two-star generals.

Critics have questioned whether Hegseth has the authority to block promotions. Many have also noted that women and Black officers are disproportionately among those denied top-tier advancement.

Attacks on press freedom

Under Hegseth, the Pentagon has developed an increasingly adversarial relationship with journalists.

His department has restricted reporter access to the Pentagon press office, and in September 2025, unveiled a new policy requiring journalists to sign a pledge that would restrict their news gathering or else lose their media credentials .

That policy was blocked in March, with a district court ruling it ran afoul of the First Amendment’s free speech protections.

But further incidents have continued to raise concern about the press freedoms at the Pentagon. Last month, three members of the Stars and Stripes newspaper filed a lawsuit against the Defense Department for censorship , after they were fired for speaking out about editorial independence.

Hegseth, meanwhile, has publicly attacked the media, describing some coverage as “unpatriotic”.

Warfare strategy of ‘maximum lethality’

Hegseth has made “lethality” a central tenet of the US military, a philosophy that has come under scrutiny during overseas military operations.

He has also pledged to jettison what he calls “stupid rules of engagement” that limit justifiable military action.

Since September 2, 2025, the US military has carried out a series of boat strikes in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, on the premise of protecting the US from “narco-terrorists”.

But the identities of those killed remain largely a mystery, and no public evidence has been presented against them. Legal experts have called the campaign a series of extrajudicial killings, with the victims given no opportunity to plead their case.

Some families in Colombia, Trinidad, Ecuador and elsewhere fear those killed are innocent fishermen. So far, the death toll from the boat-strike campaign has reached 227, with the latest strikes taking place in August.

In at least one case, Hegseth reportedly ordered a “double-tap” attack to kill the survivors from an initial boat strike.

Hegseth, however, denied acting unlawfully, labelling coverage of the “double-tap” as “fabricated, inflammatory, and derogatory reporting”.

He also framed the lethal boat strikes as a corrective to policies under Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden. “Biden coddled terrorists, we kill them,” Hegseth wrote.

Since February, the US has also been embroiled in a war on Iran that has raised similar use-of-force concerns. Hegseth has boasted that he unleashed the US military to use “maximum authorities on the battlefield” against Iran — a statement commonly understood to mean a loosening of the combat rules meant to protect civilians.

Those comments have drawn criticism after the US Tomahawk missile struck an Iranian elementary school on the first day of the war, killing an estimated 170 people, mostly children.

This week, Iranian officials also accused the US of hitting a civilian wedding in the city of Kuhestak, killing at least five people and wounding more than 60.

Questions about use of military resources

Under Hegseth, the Pentagon has requested a record $1.5 trillion from Congress for its defence budget in fiscal year 2027. Much of that proposal comes in the form of discretionary funding.

The Pentagon has framed the sum as a “generational investment”. But critics have argued that the military is effectively asking for a blank cheque, without accounting for the 42-percent increase in its budget.

The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a think tank, went so far as to call the sum “unhinged”.

Some of that sum is likely aimed at helping to offset the costs of the US-Israel war on Iran.

In July, Hegseth testified to the Senate Appropriations Committee that $37.5bn had been spent on the war so far. The amount is higher than the $25bn estimate the Defense Department gave in April.

Reports have emerged that US stockpiles of certain munitions are also low, raising concerns about the US strategy against Iran and its ability to defend against other threats.

Adherence to international law

Under Hegseth and Trump, the US military has embarked on several military campaigns that appear to violate international law.

On January 3, for instance, the US military launched an operation to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, transporting him to New York to face trial.

While the Trump administration has called the operation a domestic law enforcement action, critics have framed it as a violation of a foreign country’s sovereignty.

The US and Israel also launched the initial attacks that kicked off the ongoing war on Iran. While the Trump administration has argued that Iran posed an imminent threat, prominent legal experts have called the conflict an unprovoked war of choice.

As the war stretches into its seventh month, Hegseth has faced criticism for not having a clear exit strategy. The conflict has also contributed to instability and violence across the Middle East, as well as a surge in oil prices .

A culture war inside the military

Hegseth has rejected what he calls “wokeness” in the US military.

His tenure has seen a rollback of policies designed, or perceived, to promote diversity in the ranks. Under orders from Trump, he has also overseen the expulsion of transgender service members from the military.

Hegseth has also embraced a return to more traditional ideas of masculinity. That has included plans for testosterone testing among troops over 30 and new grooming standards under the slogan “No More Beardos”.

Hegseth has also drawn scrutiny for blurring the separation of church and state. He has been known to lead a regular Christian prayer service at the Pentagon and has framed some of the military’s actions in religious terms.

一位共和党参议员呼吁将国防部长从美国内阁中撤职，此后国防部长再次面临审查。

美国国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯因其在担任五角大楼负责人期间追求“最大杀伤力”而受到审查。[图片：法新社]

美国国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯在领导五角大楼方面正面临越来越严格的审查，其中一些批评甚至来自他自己的党内。

周三，共和党参议员汤姆·蒂利斯敦促唐纳德·特朗普总统撤换赫格塞斯，指责这位国防部长在美国军方高层造成了“领导真空”。

列表 1/3：皮特·赫格塞斯在美国军方进行清洗的长期影响

名单之二：三位共和党参议员呼吁特朗普解雇国防部长赫格塞斯

列表 3/3：特朗普称媒体报道伊朗战争弹药短缺是“叛国败类”

蒂利斯说：“我从未见过如此无能的管理者，竟然如此对待那些为我们国家服务的勇敢男女军人。他被能力所震慑。”

蒂利斯发表上述评论之前，陆军部长丹·德里斯科尔于周一辞职，他是最新一位因与赫格塞斯关系紧张而离开五角大楼的高级官员。

德里斯科尔的离职是在一系列高级军事领导人被解雇、被迫退休和晋升受阻之后发生的，这引起了人们对五角大楼领导层稳定性的担忧。

曾任福克斯新闻主持人、陆军国民警卫队退伍军人的赫格塞斯在参议院经过一场激烈的投票后，于 2025 年 1 月被确认为国防部长。

自上任以来，他一直积极致力于重塑军队，强调杀伤力以及他所谓的“战士精神”。但高级官员认为，他的做法造成了不稳定，并将文化斗争置于军事战备之上。

他的任期也一直饱受一系列争议的困扰。以下是迄今为止一些比较引人注目的争议：

赫格塞斯上任后的第一个重大争议发生在 2025 年 3 月，也就是他上任仅仅两个月后。

特朗普政府的一名成员无意中将《大西洋月刊》主编杰弗里·戈德堡拉进了即时通讯软件 Signal 的私人聊天中，当时官员们正在讨论即将对也门发动的袭击。

赫格塞斯在讨论中扮演了重要角色。他的信息包括飞机起飞和打击行动的具体时间安排。

但赫格塞斯坚称，该平台上并未共享任何“作战计划”。然而，专家们对此说法提出异议，指出即将开展的军事行动的细节通常属于机密。

军方禁止使用第三方平台保障作战安全，监察长报告后来指出，Signal聊天记录的任何泄露都可能危及军人的安全。

媒体报道还显示，赫格塞斯曾与他的妻子、兄弟和私人律师进行过第二次 Signal 聊天，其中也包含敏感的军事信息。

赫格塞斯并未因这些事件受到正式处罚。

赫格塞斯领导下的五角大楼经历了大规模的高级军事和文职官员更迭。

赫格塞斯上任后不久，几位高级军事领导人被解职，其中包括海军上将丽莎·弗兰切蒂、海岸警卫队司令琳达·费根和参谋长联席会议主席查尔斯·Q·布朗。

法根和弗兰切蒂都是担任各自职务的首位女性。特朗普政府在一份解释解雇法根的声明中指出，解雇原因是“领导力不足”以及“过度关注”多元化。

其他一些官员已经离职或选择提前退休。其中包括海军上将阿尔文·霍尔西，他因在赫格塞斯领导下参与加勒比海和东太平洋的军事打击行动而受到批评。

人员更迭的趋势一直延续到 2026 年，陆军部长丹尼尔·德里斯科尔于周三离任。

赫格塞斯采取了从高级军事晋升名单中删除数十个名字的举措，这对于五角大楼负责人来说实属罕见。

通常情况下，各军种的高级军官候选人由选拔委员会选拔产生。这一过程理应保持政治中立。

但据报道，赫格塞斯已经从高级军事官员的晋升名单中删除了多达 80 个名字，其中包括那些有望晋升为一星或二星将军的人。

批评人士质疑赫格塞斯是否有权阻止晋升。许多人还指出，女性和黑人警官在被剥夺高层晋升机会方面占比过高。

对新闻自由的攻击

在赫格塞斯的领导下，五角大楼与记者之间的关系日益敌对。

他的部门限制了记者进入五角大楼新闻办公室，并在 2025 年 9 月推出了一项新政策，要求记者签署一份承诺书，限制他们的新闻采集活动，否则将失去他们的媒体证件。

这项政策在三月份被阻止，地区法院裁定其违反了宪法第一修正案对言论自由的保护。

但接连发生的事件持续引发人们对五角大楼新闻自由的担忧。上个月，《星条旗报》的三名成员因公开谈论编辑独立性而被解雇，随后他们对国防部提起诉讼，指控其进行审查。

与此同时，赫格塞斯公开抨击媒体，称某些报道是“不爱国的”。

“最大杀伤力”战争战略

赫格塞斯将“杀伤力”作为美国军队的核心原则，这一理念在海外军事行动中受到了审查。

他还承诺摒弃他所谓的限制正当军事行动的“愚蠢的交战规则”。

自 2025 年 9 月 2 日起，美国军方以保护美国免受“毒品恐怖分子”袭击为由，在加勒比海和东太平洋进行了一系列船艇袭击。

但遇难者的身份至今仍是个谜，也没有任何公开证据指向他们。法律专家称这场运动是一系列法外处决，受害者根本没有机会为自己辩护。

哥伦比亚、特立尼达、厄瓜多尔和其他一些地方的家庭担心，死者是无辜的渔民。迄今为止，渔船罢工行动已造成227人死亡，最近一次罢工发生在8月份。

据报道，至少有一次，赫格塞斯下令发动“二次攻击”，杀死最初船只袭击中的幸存者。

然而，赫格塞斯否认自己的行为违法，称有关“双击”的报道是“捏造的、煽动性的和贬损性的报道”。

他还将这次致命的船艇袭击行动描述为对特朗普前任乔·拜登政策的纠正。“拜登纵容恐怖分子，我们则要消灭他们，”赫格塞斯写道。

自二月以来，美国也卷入了与伊朗的战争，这场战争引发了类似的武力使用担忧。赫格塞斯曾吹嘘，他已授权美军在战场上使用“最大限度的权力”对伊朗作战——这一说法通常被理解为放宽了旨在保护平民的作战规则。

这些言论在战争爆发的第一天就遭到了批评，当时美国的战斧导弹击中了一所伊朗小学，造成约 170 人死亡，其中大部分是儿童。

本周，伊朗官员还指责美国袭击了库赫斯塔克市的一场平民婚礼，造成至少 5 人死亡，60 多人受伤。

关于军事资源使用的问题

在赫格塞斯的领导下，五角大楼已向国会申请2027财年国防预算，金额高达创纪录的1.5万亿美元。其中大部分资金属于可自由支配资金。

五角大楼将这笔款项描述为“代际投资”。但批评人士认为，军方实际上是在要求一张空白支票，而没有考虑到其预算增加了42%。

昆西负责任治国研究所（一家智库）甚至称这一数字“疯狂”。

这笔款项的一部分可能旨在帮助抵消美国和以色列对伊朗战争的成本。

7月，赫格塞斯在参议院拨款委员会作证时表示，迄今为止，战争已耗资375亿美元。这一数额高于国防部4月份给出的250亿美元的估计。

有报道称，美国某些弹药的库存也较低，这引发了人们对美国对伊朗战略及其抵御其他威胁能力的担忧。

遵守国际法

在赫格塞斯和特朗普的领导下，美国军方发动了数次军事行动，这些行动似乎违反了国际法。

例如，1月3日，美国军方发起了一项行动，绑架了委内瑞拉总统尼古拉斯·马杜罗，并将其押送至纽约接受审判。

尽管特朗普政府称此次行动是国内执法行动，但批评人士则认为这是侵犯外国主权的行为。

美国和以色列也发动了最初的袭击，由此引发了持续至今的对伊战争。尽管特朗普政府声称伊朗构成迫在眉睫的威胁，但一些知名法律专家称这场冲突是一场无端挑起的战争。

战争已持续七个月，赫格塞斯因缺乏明确的撤军战略而饱受批评。这场冲突也加剧了中东地区的动荡和暴力，并导致油价飙升。

军队内部的文化战争

赫格塞斯拒绝接受他所谓的美国军方“觉醒主义”。

在他的任期内，旨在或被认为旨在促进军队多元化的政策遭到倒退。在特朗普的命令下，他还主导了跨性别军人被军队开除的行动。

赫格塞斯也接受了回归更传统的男性气质观念。这包括计划对30岁以上的士兵进行睾酮检测，以及以“不再留胡子”为口号制定新的仪容标准。

赫格塞斯还因模糊政教分离原则而受到审查。他曾多次在五角大楼主持基督教祈祷仪式，并以宗教术语来解释一些军事行动。