Pete Hegseth
Hegseth's Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned after months of clashes over firings and blocked promotions, leaving the Army with no Senate-confirmed civilian or military leaders. He is pushing Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell as Driscoll's replacement while 45+ officers remain purged, more than half female or Black.
Pete Hegseth enters September presiding over an Army with no Senate-confirmed civilian or military leaders after Secretary Daniel Driscoll resigned following months of clashes over Hegseth's purge of senior officers. Hegseth fired Army Chief Gen. Randy George in April after George refused to drop a safety probe into an unauthorized Apache flyover over Kid Rock's Tennessee estate, then lifted the pilots' suspensions. He has now blocked at least 45 officers from promotion this year, more than half female or Black, targeting those tied to George and former Europe commander Chris Donahue. His own acting Army chief, Gen. Christopher LaNeve, has expressed frustration over the blocks. Hegseth wants Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell to replace Driscoll, though Parnell faces Senate confirmation headwinds over a judge's finding of "credible evidence" for past domestic abuse allegations.
The six-month Iran campaign is widely assessed as a strategic failure: 18 American deaths, 600-plus wounded, $37.5 billion spent, with regime change and nuclear neutralization unachieved. Senior military leaders formally non-concurred with Hegseth's plan to keep 50,000 troops on alert, calling the war unsustainable. His spokesperson dismissed the dissent as inaccurate and called leaking classified assessments a crime. The Pentagon pulled munitions from South Korea, withdrew the last carrier from the Pacific, and reduced missions in the South China Sea and Europe to sustain the effort, leaving gaps in the ability to defend Taiwan or support Ukraine.
Hegseth dismissed reports of deteriorating conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on its record 279-day deployment as "completely misrepresented," aligning with Trump while Vice Adm. Joseph Cahill acknowledged strain on forces and families. He secretly appointed conservative influencers as special government employees to amplify his agenda, denied 2028 presidential ambitions as "100% false," and missed an August 28 deadline to answer Sen. Elissa Slotkin's inquiry on military deployment to polling places. He is expanding the cartel war from sea strikes to land operations across Latin America, running a Europe troop review with a loyalty questionnaire to NATO allies, and planning a second Quantico summit to issue new directives to senior military personnel.
On their plate
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned after months of clashing with Hegseth over the firing of combat-tested leaders and blocked promotions. The Army now has no Senate-confirmed civilian or military leaders. Hegseth fired Gen. Randy George in April after George refused to drop a safety probe into an unauthorized Apache flyover over Kid Rock's estate, and has blocked at least 45 officers from promotion this year, more than half female or Black.
The six-month Iran campaign cost 18 American lives, 600-plus wounded, and $37.5 billion, with regime change and nuclear neutralization unachieved. Senior military leaders formally non-concurred with Hegseth's plan to keep 50,000 troops on alert. To sustain the war, the Pentagon pulled munitions from South Korea, withdrew the last carrier from the Pacific, and reduced missions in Europe and the South China Sea, leaving gaps in the ability to defend Taiwan or support Ukraine.
Hegseth is pushing Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell to replace Dan Driscoll as Army Secretary, a move that would tighten his control over the service. Parnell faces Senate confirmation headwinds over a judge's finding of credible evidence for past domestic abuse allegations, which Parnell denies. The White House asked Driscoll to stay through the November midterms.
Hegseth announced from a military drill in Panama that Colombia, Guatemala, and Honduras agreed to joint land operations against drug cartels, expanding the war from sea strikes that killed over 200 people. Guatemala's President Bernardo Arévalo denied agreeing, and Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum resisted any U.S. military role on Mexican soil. Sen. Rand Paul called the operations extrajudicial killings Congress never authorized.
Hegseth is running a six-month review of U.S. military presence in Europe concluding in December that has already resulted in 5,000 troop withdrawals from Germany. He paired the review with a loyalty questionnaire to NATO allies assessing alignment with Trump's foreign policy. NATO Sec-Gen Mark Rutte endorsed the review, while allies resisted it as trading security for political fealty.
Key relationships
Hegseth prefers Parnell, his Pentagon spokesman, to succeed Driscoll as Army Secretary, a move that would tighten his control over the Army.
Hegseth co-negotiated with Rubio a bilateral oil deal with Venezuela granting the U.S. majority control of 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil to replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
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