Pete Hegseth Says All This Chaos At The Pentagon Is Actually Very Good

The defense secretary insists the reports of aides talking about their bowel movements and firings over alleged leaks are all part of his plan to shake up the department.

The Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee admitted at Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing he was an “unconventional” nominee, but he could still lead the Defense Department with the help of “exceptional subordinates” handling the Pentagon’s day-to-day affairs.

“In short, I am confident that Mr. Hegseth, supported by a team of experienced top officials, will get the job done,” Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said in January.

Three months later, Hegseth has lost his handpicked chief of staff and fired three other aides in a bizarre front-office meltdown over suspected leaks. That’s on top of the mega-scandal over Hegseth’s use of Signal group chats to share sensitive details about imminent attacks by the U.S. military on Houthi targets in Yemen.

In short, things are not going well.

Hegseth, however, insists it’s all part of his plan to shake up a complacent bureaucracy and bring back the “warrior ethos” like he promised to do.