Ex-Pentagon Official Issues Warning: Department's Issues May Topple Hegseth
In an opinion piece for PMG Magazine, John Ullyot, the former chief spokesperson for the Defense Department, described the previous month as a "full-blown meltdown at the Pentagon."
TroibNews 
The Pentagon is experiencing "total chaos," and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is unlikely to keep his position, as depicted by a former top spokesperson. John Ullyot described a scene filled with dysfunction, backstabbing, and ongoing missteps at the highest levels of the department.
“The building is in disarray under Hegseth’s leadership,” Ullyot stated in a recent opinion piece for PMG Magazine. He emphasized that “the dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president — who deserves better from his senior leadership.”
Having resigned from the Pentagon just last week, Ullyot painted a picture of a department in turmoil. He accused Hegseth's team of spreading “falsehoods” regarding the dismissals of three senior officials the prior week, asserting that they did not leak sensitive information to the media. He criticized Pentagon leaders for mishandling reports about Hegseth sharing sensitive military information in a Signal chat and pointed out other leaks that embarrassed the administration.
The remarkable claims from a former official, who left only two days earlier yet maintains his support for the Trump administration’s national security policies, bring attention to the infighting and upheaval that have become increasingly public in recent weeks. However, Ullyot himself was embroiled in several controversies that contributed to the ongoing chaos.
He was sidelined after supporting the removal of a story covering baseball legend Jackie Robinson, part of a wider purge of diversity-focused military webpages back in March. “The last month has been a full-blown meltdown at the Pentagon — and it’s becoming a real problem for the administration,” he asserted.
The Pentagon and White House did not respond to requests for comment concerning these issues.
On Friday, the Pentagon dismissed senior staff members, including adviser Dan Caldwell, deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick, and Colin Carroll, who served as chief of staff to the deputy Defense secretary. Joe Kasper, Hegseth’s chief of staff, is also set to leave for a new position at the agency, according to a senior administration official. PMG was first to report these firings and Kasper’s transition, which one defense official attributed to personality clashes between him and the others.
“Hegseth is now presiding over a strange and baffling purge” that has left him without senior advisers, Ullyot wrote. He also suggested that “more firings may be coming, according to rumors in the building.”
The three officials who were terminated echoed some of Ullyot’s assertions in a Saturday post on X, stating they were unaware of the reasons for their dismissals. They claimed they “have not been told what exactly we were investigated for, if there is still an active investigation, or if there was even a real investigation of ‘leaks’ to begin with.” They accused “unnamed Pentagon officials of slandering our character with baseless attacks on our way out the door,” expressing support for the “Trump-Vance Administration’s mission to make the Pentagon great again,” but notably omitting any mention of Hegseth.
These firings come in the wake of a purge of top military officers back in February, which included prominent figures such as former Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. C. Q. Brown and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti.
Despite his departure last week, Ullyot's role within the Pentagon had become uncertain. He stated earlier that he was leaving because he and Hegseth “could not come to an agreement on another good fit for me at DOD.”
Ullyot previously led communications at both the National Security Council and the Department of Veterans Affairs during Trump’s first term. He was instrumental in the administration's early days in relocating Pentagon workspaces for several media organizations, including PMG, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CNN, to other outlets, many of which leaned conservative.
His remarks are likely to create further complications for Hegseth, who is under investigation by the Pentagon’s inspector general for using Signal to share sensitive information regarding airstrikes in Yemen. The New York Times reported that Hegseth allegedly created a Signal chat with his wife, a former Fox News producer, and his lawyer, where he may have disclosed potentially classified information regarding upcoming airstrikes against the Houthis.
“It’s hard to see Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth remaining in his position for much longer,” Ullyot concluded.
Allen M Lee for TROIB News
“The building is in disarray under Hegseth’s leadership,” Ullyot stated in a recent opinion piece for PMG Magazine. He emphasized that “the dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president — who deserves better from his senior leadership.”
Having resigned from the Pentagon just last week, Ullyot painted a picture of a department in turmoil. He accused Hegseth's team of spreading “falsehoods” regarding the dismissals of three senior officials the prior week, asserting that they did not leak sensitive information to the media. He criticized Pentagon leaders for mishandling reports about Hegseth sharing sensitive military information in a Signal chat and pointed out other leaks that embarrassed the administration.
The remarkable claims from a former official, who left only two days earlier yet maintains his support for the Trump administration’s national security policies, bring attention to the infighting and upheaval that have become increasingly public in recent weeks. However, Ullyot himself was embroiled in several controversies that contributed to the ongoing chaos.
He was sidelined after supporting the removal of a story covering baseball legend Jackie Robinson, part of a wider purge of diversity-focused military webpages back in March. “The last month has been a full-blown meltdown at the Pentagon — and it’s becoming a real problem for the administration,” he asserted.
The Pentagon and White House did not respond to requests for comment concerning these issues.
On Friday, the Pentagon dismissed senior staff members, including adviser Dan Caldwell, deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick, and Colin Carroll, who served as chief of staff to the deputy Defense secretary. Joe Kasper, Hegseth’s chief of staff, is also set to leave for a new position at the agency, according to a senior administration official. PMG was first to report these firings and Kasper’s transition, which one defense official attributed to personality clashes between him and the others.
“Hegseth is now presiding over a strange and baffling purge” that has left him without senior advisers, Ullyot wrote. He also suggested that “more firings may be coming, according to rumors in the building.”
The three officials who were terminated echoed some of Ullyot’s assertions in a Saturday post on X, stating they were unaware of the reasons for their dismissals. They claimed they “have not been told what exactly we were investigated for, if there is still an active investigation, or if there was even a real investigation of ‘leaks’ to begin with.” They accused “unnamed Pentagon officials of slandering our character with baseless attacks on our way out the door,” expressing support for the “Trump-Vance Administration’s mission to make the Pentagon great again,” but notably omitting any mention of Hegseth.
These firings come in the wake of a purge of top military officers back in February, which included prominent figures such as former Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. C. Q. Brown and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti.
Despite his departure last week, Ullyot's role within the Pentagon had become uncertain. He stated earlier that he was leaving because he and Hegseth “could not come to an agreement on another good fit for me at DOD.”
Ullyot previously led communications at both the National Security Council and the Department of Veterans Affairs during Trump’s first term. He was instrumental in the administration's early days in relocating Pentagon workspaces for several media organizations, including PMG, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CNN, to other outlets, many of which leaned conservative.
His remarks are likely to create further complications for Hegseth, who is under investigation by the Pentagon’s inspector general for using Signal to share sensitive information regarding airstrikes in Yemen. The New York Times reported that Hegseth allegedly created a Signal chat with his wife, a former Fox News producer, and his lawyer, where he may have disclosed potentially classified information regarding upcoming airstrikes against the Houthis.
“It’s hard to see Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth remaining in his position for much longer,” Ullyot concluded.
Allen M Lee for TROIB News
