Ex-Pentagon Official Describes ‘Month from Hell’ at the Department -- Editorial
John Ullyot discusses how the escalating disorder within the Department of Defense is increasingly diverting attention from the Trump administration's priorities.
TroibNews 
The Pentagon has experienced a month of unprecedented turmoil. With leaks of sensitive operational plans and numerous abrupt firings, the escalating dysfunction now poses a significant distraction for President Trump, who rightly expects more from his senior leadership.
Known for demanding accountability from his top officials, it is questionable how much longer Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will remain in his position.
The recent turmoil reached a new peak with a near collapse among the Pentagon's upper echelons. Hegseth dismissed three loyal senior staffers on Friday: senior adviser Dan Caldwell, deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick, and Colin Carroll, chief of staff for the deputy secretary of Defense. Following the firings, officials within the Defense Department attempted to discredit the aides to reporters, alleging they were dismissed for leaking sensitive information tied to an ongoing investigation initiated earlier this month.
These claims lack truth. Despite the department's announcement of polygraph tests as part of the inquiry, none of the three individuals has undergone a lie detector test. One of them has even communicated with former colleagues that investigators indicated he would soon be officially cleared of any misconduct. Unfortunately, Hegseth's team has developed a pattern of anonymously disseminating easily disproven falsehoods about departing colleagues.
Additionally, on Friday, PMG revealed that Hegseth’s chief of staff, Joe Kasper, would also be stepping down. Kasper had instigated the investigation into the Pentagon leaks, which reportedly encompassed military operational plans regarding the Panama Canal and a halt in intelligence collection for Ukraine.
Hegseth is navigating through a perplexing purge that will leave him without two of his closest advisers—Caldwell and Selnick—as well as without chiefs of staff for both himself and his deputy. Rumors suggest that more firings may be on the horizon.
In summary, dysfunction reigns under Hegseth’s leadership.
Luckily, I was not among those purged. Like Caldwell and Selnick, I have long supported the secretary. Back in December, when his Senate confirmation faced challenges, I wrote an opinion piece championing his leadership as essential for enacting necessary reforms at the Pentagon.
A month later, Hegseth invited me to lead the Pentagon public affairs operation during his initial stay, with the possibility of further roles in the department afterward.
Together, we achieved significant milestones, including incorporating new, predominantly conservative media outlets into the Pentagon press space and ensuring public awareness regarding Trump's commitment to revitalizing the military after four years of stagnation under President Biden and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, including their promotion of divisive identity politics and relaxed standards on body composition and physical fitness within the armed services.
Last week, after stepping down from my public affairs role, I respectfully declined a generous new position from the secretary and notified him of my decision to leave the department, wishing him well. I cherish his friendship and am thankful for the opportunity to serve. I commend his leadership in supporting the president's mission to strengthen America.
Nonetheless, even loyal supporters of the secretary like myself must recognize that the past month has witnessed a complete breakdown at the Pentagon, presenting a significant issue for the administration.
This turmoil began with Signalgate, wherein the secretary shared detailed operational plans about an upcoming military action against the Houthis in Yemen in an unclassified Signal chat group that included a media member.
When this story surfaced, Hegseth followed poor crisis communication advice from his new public affairs team, who misguidedly persuaded him to deny the reporting using a vague, Clinton-style non-denial. This approach violated a fundamental public relations principle: to disclose bad news promptly.
The ambiguous disavowal led reporter Jeffrey Goldberg to publish Hegseth's full chat string, which included the detailed operational plans two days later, transforming what was already a significant story into a prolonged embarrassment for the president's national security team. Hegseth now faces an inspector general’s inquiry into a potential leak of classified information and violations of records retention protocols.
However, this debacle was merely the beginning of what has been termed the Month from Hell. The Wall Street Journal and other sources reported that Hegseth “brought his wife, a former Fox News producer, to two meetings with foreign military counterparts where sensitive information was discussed.”
Subsequently, the Pentagon arranged a top-secret briefing by the Joint Chiefs of Staff on China for Elon Musk, who maintains extensive business interests in the country. Following this revelation, the White House canceled the meeting.
Then came the dismissals, with further shocking news surfacing. On Sunday night, The New York Times reported that Hegseth shared information about the Yemen strike in another Signal chat that included his wife and brother.
Insiders suggest that more critical stories could emerge soon, indicating an ongoing cycle of revelations.
One of the reasons the American electorate granted Trump a decisive victory last November is his reputation as a shrewd businessman who seeks results and demands accountability from his team for significant errors. This is in sharp contrast to Biden's approach, where no senior officials were held accountable for their missteps.
During Trump’s initial term, he achieved more national-security successes than any president in recent generations, countering China’s aggression, strengthening Indo-Pacific alliances, and making significant strides in military operations, among other accomplishments.
In the early months of his second term, Trump has continued to build on this strong record in national security, particularly by refocusing the Defense Department on its primary mission of preparing to fight and win wars. However, after this tumultuous month, the Pentagon is distracted by excessive drama rather than its essential warfighting objectives.
The president deserves better than the chaos currently unfolding at the Pentagon. Given Trump’s history of holding Cabinet leaders accountable, many within the secretary’s inner circle would likely quietly support a swift change at the top of the Defense Department.
Dan Unno for TROIB News
Known for demanding accountability from his top officials, it is questionable how much longer Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will remain in his position.
The recent turmoil reached a new peak with a near collapse among the Pentagon's upper echelons. Hegseth dismissed three loyal senior staffers on Friday: senior adviser Dan Caldwell, deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick, and Colin Carroll, chief of staff for the deputy secretary of Defense. Following the firings, officials within the Defense Department attempted to discredit the aides to reporters, alleging they were dismissed for leaking sensitive information tied to an ongoing investigation initiated earlier this month.
These claims lack truth. Despite the department's announcement of polygraph tests as part of the inquiry, none of the three individuals has undergone a lie detector test. One of them has even communicated with former colleagues that investigators indicated he would soon be officially cleared of any misconduct. Unfortunately, Hegseth's team has developed a pattern of anonymously disseminating easily disproven falsehoods about departing colleagues.
Additionally, on Friday, PMG revealed that Hegseth’s chief of staff, Joe Kasper, would also be stepping down. Kasper had instigated the investigation into the Pentagon leaks, which reportedly encompassed military operational plans regarding the Panama Canal and a halt in intelligence collection for Ukraine.
Hegseth is navigating through a perplexing purge that will leave him without two of his closest advisers—Caldwell and Selnick—as well as without chiefs of staff for both himself and his deputy. Rumors suggest that more firings may be on the horizon.
In summary, dysfunction reigns under Hegseth’s leadership.
Luckily, I was not among those purged. Like Caldwell and Selnick, I have long supported the secretary. Back in December, when his Senate confirmation faced challenges, I wrote an opinion piece championing his leadership as essential for enacting necessary reforms at the Pentagon.
A month later, Hegseth invited me to lead the Pentagon public affairs operation during his initial stay, with the possibility of further roles in the department afterward.
Together, we achieved significant milestones, including incorporating new, predominantly conservative media outlets into the Pentagon press space and ensuring public awareness regarding Trump's commitment to revitalizing the military after four years of stagnation under President Biden and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, including their promotion of divisive identity politics and relaxed standards on body composition and physical fitness within the armed services.
Last week, after stepping down from my public affairs role, I respectfully declined a generous new position from the secretary and notified him of my decision to leave the department, wishing him well. I cherish his friendship and am thankful for the opportunity to serve. I commend his leadership in supporting the president's mission to strengthen America.
Nonetheless, even loyal supporters of the secretary like myself must recognize that the past month has witnessed a complete breakdown at the Pentagon, presenting a significant issue for the administration.
This turmoil began with Signalgate, wherein the secretary shared detailed operational plans about an upcoming military action against the Houthis in Yemen in an unclassified Signal chat group that included a media member.
When this story surfaced, Hegseth followed poor crisis communication advice from his new public affairs team, who misguidedly persuaded him to deny the reporting using a vague, Clinton-style non-denial. This approach violated a fundamental public relations principle: to disclose bad news promptly.
The ambiguous disavowal led reporter Jeffrey Goldberg to publish Hegseth's full chat string, which included the detailed operational plans two days later, transforming what was already a significant story into a prolonged embarrassment for the president's national security team. Hegseth now faces an inspector general’s inquiry into a potential leak of classified information and violations of records retention protocols.
However, this debacle was merely the beginning of what has been termed the Month from Hell. The Wall Street Journal and other sources reported that Hegseth “brought his wife, a former Fox News producer, to two meetings with foreign military counterparts where sensitive information was discussed.”
Subsequently, the Pentagon arranged a top-secret briefing by the Joint Chiefs of Staff on China for Elon Musk, who maintains extensive business interests in the country. Following this revelation, the White House canceled the meeting.
Then came the dismissals, with further shocking news surfacing. On Sunday night, The New York Times reported that Hegseth shared information about the Yemen strike in another Signal chat that included his wife and brother.
Insiders suggest that more critical stories could emerge soon, indicating an ongoing cycle of revelations.
One of the reasons the American electorate granted Trump a decisive victory last November is his reputation as a shrewd businessman who seeks results and demands accountability from his team for significant errors. This is in sharp contrast to Biden's approach, where no senior officials were held accountable for their missteps.
During Trump’s initial term, he achieved more national-security successes than any president in recent generations, countering China’s aggression, strengthening Indo-Pacific alliances, and making significant strides in military operations, among other accomplishments.
In the early months of his second term, Trump has continued to build on this strong record in national security, particularly by refocusing the Defense Department on its primary mission of preparing to fight and win wars. However, after this tumultuous month, the Pentagon is distracted by excessive drama rather than its essential warfighting objectives.
The president deserves better than the chaos currently unfolding at the Pentagon. Given Trump’s history of holding Cabinet leaders accountable, many within the secretary’s inner circle would likely quietly support a swift change at the top of the Defense Department.
Dan Unno for TROIB News
