The White House is struggling to find sufficiently qualified personnel to work with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to a report.
Hegseth, a military veteran and former Fox News weekend host, is currently in need of a new chief staff and at least two new senior advisers but has so far failed to attract suitable candidates, according to four current and former administration officials and a Republican congressional aide who spoke to NBC News.
At least three people have reportedly turned down roles working under Hegseth, an unusual situation given that the positions in question would normally be considered highly prestigious.
As a result, Vice President JD Vance and Donald Trump’s White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles have been forced to pitch in and help with the recruitment drive, according to NBC.
After being nominated by the president to lead the Pentagon in November, the tough-talking Hegseth endured a torrid nomination process, in which accusations about his drinking and a sexual assault allegation came to light, before he was finally confirmed by the Senate in January.
Just two months into his tenure, as he busied himself with conducting an anti-woke purge of the U.S. military, the “Signalgate” scandal erupted in which it emerged that Trump’s short-lived national security adviser Mike Waltz had accidentally added Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal group chat in which top secret information about an upcoming bombing raid on Houthi rebels in Yemen was discussed.
In April, The New York Times reported that Hegseth had shared sensitive material in another group chat that included his wife, brother and personal attorney.
The secretary responded to that story by abruptly suspending two senior aides, Dan Caldwell and Darin Selnick, as well as Colin Carroll, chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg, having accused them of leaking classified material.
The accused trio said the treatment they had received was “unconscionable” and an investigation later found no evidence against them, which reportedly cast fresh doubt on Hegseth’s judgment within the West Wing.
Shortly after that, his own chief of staff, Joe Kasper, and spokesperson John Ullyot both left the Department of Defense (DOD), leaving behind a portrait of chaos.
NBC reports that Hegseth is currently relying on retired military aide Ricky Buria for support, who is not approved of by the White House as a fruitful choice to serve as the secretary’s new chief of staff because of his lack of political experience and because of his alleged past criticisms of Trump and Vance.
Questions over Hegseth’s competence have also seen him stood down from visiting Israel this spring, with Homeland Security Kristi Noem going in his stead, and reportedly being reprimanded by Trump for approving a classified briefing on China for Elon Musk, which was cancelled on the president’s say so.
Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell told The Independent: “The anonymous sources cited in this article have no idea what they’re talking about. Since November 5 2024, the U.S. military has seen the highest recruiting percentage of mission achieved in 30 years.
“There has never been more enthusiasm to serve under Secretary Hegseth’s leadership at the DOD.”
Arthur Schwartz, a Republican operative with close ties to the Trump administration, said similarly: “Not a single one of these ridiculous Pentagon palace intrigue stories points to a single thing that’s not getting done at the Pentagon because of the alleged ‘chaos,’”
“This is the very definition of manufactured beltway drama that serves no purpose other than to keep reporters of questionable talent employed.”
