Main Street Independent

STORYLINE  ·  active

Pentagon Leadership Turmoil

A series of developments involving the ongoing management issues and personnel changes within the Department of Defense under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Hegseth announces battlefield-style officer promotion assessment

Illustration accompanying article: Hegseth announces battlefield-style officer promotion assessment
  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced a new "battlefield-style" assessment called the Joint Warfighter Evaluation to replace traditional written-evaluation promotion boards for general and flag officers.
  • Hegseth said the new process would screen eligible colonels and Navy captains on "their ability to fight, adapt and win" and would "cut bureaucracy and demand true meritocracy."
  • Stuart Scheller, the deputy chief of staff to the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, will lead the new evaluation effort.
  • Hegseth compared the new assessment to the Louisiana Maneuvers, a series of WWII-era wargames, and said it would bring "that standard to the modern multi-domain fight."
  • The defense secretary has previously blocked many Navy, Air Force, and Army promotions to one-star general or admiral ranks, including those of Black officers and women.
 2026-09-22 · 3 MIN READ

Tillis calls for Hegseth's firing, citing Pentagon management failures

Illustration accompanying article: Tillis calls for Hegseth's firing, citing Pentagon management failures
  • Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) called on Wednesday for President Trump to fire Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, citing "inept management" of the armed forces.
  • Tillis wrote that Hegseth "is intimidated by competence and retreats to ginning up culture wars instead of soberly attending to the vital work of our national defense and the health and well-being of our fighting force."
  • Dan Driscoll resigned as Army secretary days before Tillis's call, leaving the Army without any Senate-confirmed civilian or military leaders.
  • Hegseth retains President Trump's backing and support from many service members, though he has alienated civilian and military leaders close to Republicans, the Wall Street Journal reported.
 2026-09-03 · 4 MIN READ