Pentagon Officials Express Concern Over Hegseth’s Experience: ‘Would you trust him to run Walmart?’
If confirmed, the Army veteran would oversee one of the largest bureaucracies globally.
TroibNews 
Hours after President-elect Donald Trump announced Army veteran and Fox News personality Pete Hegseth as his nominee for Defense Secretary, reactions among Pentagon officials transitioned from surprise to alarm.
If confirmed by the Senate, Hegseth would oversee 1.3 million active-duty troops and more than 750,000 civilians, manage contentious meetings with U.S. allies, and create strategies against the Islamic State and Iranian proxies. Despite his military background, he has never led an organization larger than a small nonprofit.
“Would you trust him to run Walmart?” a former DOD official questioned. “Because that’s how many employees we have.”
“Folks are shocked,” remarked a current DOD official. “He’s just a Fox News personality that’s never worked in the government.”
PMG spoke with six current and former Pentagon officials on Wednesday morning, the day after Trump’s announcement. Most opted for anonymity to express their honest views about Hegseth’s selection.
These officials, along with others in Washington, expressed concerns about whether Hegseth could effectively manage such a complex organization.
“It’s a deadly serious job and this strikes me as a mainly performative person who is best known for talking about wokeness and not doing anything meaningful on national security post serving in the military,” another DOD official commented.
“It is a massive bureaucracy, you have to understand how that works to support national security around the globe,” the official continued. “It is tedious and challenging and it is not at all related to getting on Fox News and pontificating.”
Hegseth's selection raised fears that appointing a relatively inexperienced individual could deter individuals interested in other Senate-confirmed positions at the Pentagon. The defense secretary traditionally holds significant decision-making power, which could dissuade experienced candidates from joining.
“Would you be comfortable being the undersecretary for policy if that guy is secretary of defense?” asked the former DOD official. “What 55-year-old national security-focused businessman or woman would want to be the undersecretary for acquisition to this guy when he has decision-making power?”
In response to PMG’s inquiries about Hegseth’s qualifications, the Trump transition team provided a copy of the president-elect’s announcement rather than addressing specific concerns.
Many officials were still attempting to grasp the implications of Hegseth's appointment. They described hurriedly searching for information about the nominee.
“I barely knew who he was,” another DOD official admitted. “I was reacting to a bio page.” Several foreign diplomats reported ordering Hegseth’s latest book online after the announcement, eager to familiarize themselves with someone they were previously unaware of.
Numerous current and former DOD officials had considered Trump’s initial national security appointments—such as Rep. Michael Waltz for national security adviser and plans to appoint Sen. Marco Rubio as secretary of state—as indications of a preference for more traditional and credentialed candidates.
However, Hegseth's history of criticizing Pentagon diversity initiatives and calling for the dismissal of high-ranking military officers, including Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. C.Q. Brown, sparked fears he might undermined the agency.
This announcement arrived shortly after The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump transition team was exploring a draft executive order to establish a “warrior board” of retired military officers tasked with reviewing the performances of serving generals and admirals, an idea that had already raised alarms among DOD personnel.
“It seems consistent with what people working for potential targets already feared,” said the first DOD official. “This is potentially a move by a smarter, savvier Trump administration that is looking to dress up going after the ‘woke generals’ under the veneer of some process of national security rationale.”
Some officials worried that Hegseth might approach the Pentagon with an inclination to cut programs without fully understanding their purpose.
“There is a lot of bureaucracy that needs to be addressed and thinned out,” a third DOD official acknowledged. “But something exists for a reason. If you’re disarming a bomb, you need to know which wires to cut; you can't just cut all of them.”
This official expressed hope that Hegseth would reassess his approach once he began receiving classified national security briefings. “Once they get that initial brain dump and see all that's going on behind the curtains, I think it is a step back and an 'oh my god' moment for them to kind of realize all that they don't know,” they remarked.
After the announcement, Hegseth’s personal life also faced scrutiny. Reports indicated he had been involved in multiple extramarital affairs. In 2018, during speculation about Hegseth’s potential appointment as Secretary of Veterans Affairs, American Public Media highlighted questionable expenditures from his political action committee.
According to Kori Schake, director of foreign and defense policy at the American Enterprise Institute think tank, the qualifications that typically help Pentagon leaders succeed involve significant legislative or bureaucratic experience. “After all, DOD is a $780 billion business with 2 million employees and a large and intrusive board of directors,” Schake noted. “Also, given the severe consequences of mistakes when dealing with the use of violence on behalf of the country, winning bipartisan support is a valuable asset.”
Eric Edelman, a former undersecretary of defense for policy during the Bush administration, emphasized that even seasoned leaders like Robert Gates and Leon Panetta found themselves unprepared for the challenges of overseeing the Pentagon. “After the presidency, I think it is the second hardest job in the executive branch,” he said.
As the Pentagon supports allies in two wars and may confront its own challenges in the Middle East soon, doubts linger about Hegseth’s readiness to respond effectively in a crisis due to his lack of executive branch experience.
“It is not a building that moves on a dime or changes easily,” the first DOD official added. “You’re going to come up against a thousand walls.”
Paul McLeary contributed reporting for this story.
Debra A Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
If confirmed by the Senate, Hegseth would oversee 1.3 million active-duty troops and more than 750,000 civilians, manage contentious meetings with U.S. allies, and create strategies against the Islamic State and Iranian proxies. Despite his military background, he has never led an organization larger than a small nonprofit.
“Would you trust him to run Walmart?” a former DOD official questioned. “Because that’s how many employees we have.”
“Folks are shocked,” remarked a current DOD official. “He’s just a Fox News personality that’s never worked in the government.”
PMG spoke with six current and former Pentagon officials on Wednesday morning, the day after Trump’s announcement. Most opted for anonymity to express their honest views about Hegseth’s selection.
These officials, along with others in Washington, expressed concerns about whether Hegseth could effectively manage such a complex organization.
“It’s a deadly serious job and this strikes me as a mainly performative person who is best known for talking about wokeness and not doing anything meaningful on national security post serving in the military,” another DOD official commented.
“It is a massive bureaucracy, you have to understand how that works to support national security around the globe,” the official continued. “It is tedious and challenging and it is not at all related to getting on Fox News and pontificating.”
Hegseth's selection raised fears that appointing a relatively inexperienced individual could deter individuals interested in other Senate-confirmed positions at the Pentagon. The defense secretary traditionally holds significant decision-making power, which could dissuade experienced candidates from joining.
“Would you be comfortable being the undersecretary for policy if that guy is secretary of defense?” asked the former DOD official. “What 55-year-old national security-focused businessman or woman would want to be the undersecretary for acquisition to this guy when he has decision-making power?”
In response to PMG’s inquiries about Hegseth’s qualifications, the Trump transition team provided a copy of the president-elect’s announcement rather than addressing specific concerns.
Many officials were still attempting to grasp the implications of Hegseth's appointment. They described hurriedly searching for information about the nominee.
“I barely knew who he was,” another DOD official admitted. “I was reacting to a bio page.” Several foreign diplomats reported ordering Hegseth’s latest book online after the announcement, eager to familiarize themselves with someone they were previously unaware of.
Numerous current and former DOD officials had considered Trump’s initial national security appointments—such as Rep. Michael Waltz for national security adviser and plans to appoint Sen. Marco Rubio as secretary of state—as indications of a preference for more traditional and credentialed candidates.
However, Hegseth's history of criticizing Pentagon diversity initiatives and calling for the dismissal of high-ranking military officers, including Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. C.Q. Brown, sparked fears he might undermined the agency.
This announcement arrived shortly after The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump transition team was exploring a draft executive order to establish a “warrior board” of retired military officers tasked with reviewing the performances of serving generals and admirals, an idea that had already raised alarms among DOD personnel.
“It seems consistent with what people working for potential targets already feared,” said the first DOD official. “This is potentially a move by a smarter, savvier Trump administration that is looking to dress up going after the ‘woke generals’ under the veneer of some process of national security rationale.”
Some officials worried that Hegseth might approach the Pentagon with an inclination to cut programs without fully understanding their purpose.
“There is a lot of bureaucracy that needs to be addressed and thinned out,” a third DOD official acknowledged. “But something exists for a reason. If you’re disarming a bomb, you need to know which wires to cut; you can't just cut all of them.”
This official expressed hope that Hegseth would reassess his approach once he began receiving classified national security briefings. “Once they get that initial brain dump and see all that's going on behind the curtains, I think it is a step back and an 'oh my god' moment for them to kind of realize all that they don't know,” they remarked.
After the announcement, Hegseth’s personal life also faced scrutiny. Reports indicated he had been involved in multiple extramarital affairs. In 2018, during speculation about Hegseth’s potential appointment as Secretary of Veterans Affairs, American Public Media highlighted questionable expenditures from his political action committee.
According to Kori Schake, director of foreign and defense policy at the American Enterprise Institute think tank, the qualifications that typically help Pentagon leaders succeed involve significant legislative or bureaucratic experience. “After all, DOD is a $780 billion business with 2 million employees and a large and intrusive board of directors,” Schake noted. “Also, given the severe consequences of mistakes when dealing with the use of violence on behalf of the country, winning bipartisan support is a valuable asset.”
Eric Edelman, a former undersecretary of defense for policy during the Bush administration, emphasized that even seasoned leaders like Robert Gates and Leon Panetta found themselves unprepared for the challenges of overseeing the Pentagon. “After the presidency, I think it is the second hardest job in the executive branch,” he said.
As the Pentagon supports allies in two wars and may confront its own challenges in the Middle East soon, doubts linger about Hegseth’s readiness to respond effectively in a crisis due to his lack of executive branch experience.
“It is not a building that moves on a dime or changes easily,” the first DOD official added. “You’re going to come up against a thousand walls.”
Paul McLeary contributed reporting for this story.
Debra A Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
