The high-stakes battle on Capitol Hill over Pete Hegseth’s quest to lead the Defense Department is causing no shortage of angst in the Pentagon, where officials are watching nervously to find out who their next boss will be.
Hegseth, a former Fox News host and Army veteran, is being dogged by claims involving alleged sexual assault and public drunkenness and has spent the week meeting with Republican senators to ensure he has the votes to pass, even though there are serious doubts he has the numbers.
“The biggest thing I’m picking up is a level of discomfort and uncertainty. People want to know who their leadership is going to be and what they’re going to be asked to do, these are professionals who can put personal feelings aside,” said one Pentagon official, who like others was granted anonymity to speak candidly on a sensitive subject.
The official also noted that the Trump team’s delay in signing an agreement with the White House means the Pentagon and other agencies are in a holding pattern until transition officials are in place.
“The facts that Hegseth’s past has jeopardized his nomination and that the transition team still isn’t in the building will just make it harder for the incoming administration to lead DOD,” the official said.
A Defense Department spokesperson declined to comment on the officials' specific concerns.
“The department is committed to carrying out a calm, orderly, and professional transition, including ensuring that the President-Elect’s transition team has the necessary information, consistent with governing documents and agreements, to ensure that the incoming administration is prepared to perform their functions and duties on day one,” Sue Gough said.
President-elect Donald Trump is, for now, standing by his pick, posting on social media Friday morning that “Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!”
“His support is strong and deep, much more so than the Fake News would have you believe,” Trump posted.
Hegseth is already a polarizing figure, and officials at the Pentagon say there’s no unified response to the specter of him taking over the department. Hegseth is an outspoken opponent of Biden-era policies on diversity, equity and inclusion and he has promised, as has Trump, to role back the initiatives immediately.
But Hegseth has also said women should not be deployed inside combat units.
“I think it’s split on Hegseth,” a second Pentagon official said. “Some are really happy he’s going after the … DEI stuff and focusing on lethality, but his comments on women — and some of his alleged conduct — are troublesome to many.”
The reaction isn’t as mixed about Trump’s pick for the Pentagon’s No. 2 job, private equity executive Stephen Feinberg. The secretive billionaire financier with no experience in the agency has a long track record in the defense industrial world.
“People are very excited for Feinberg,” the second official said.
Despite all the opinions on Hegseth, officials are still speaking in hushed tones about the nomination, especially since Hegseth has said Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. C.Q. Brown and other top leaders should be fired.
“I think everyone is trying not to talk about it for fear of being the one getting caught saying anything,” a third Pentagon official said.
