NYT: “Chaos And Screaming Matches” At Pentagon

The New York Times reports:

Mr. Hegseth’s inner circle of close advisers — military veterans who, like him, had little experience running large, complex organizations — is in shambles. Three members of the team he brought with him into the Pentagon were accused last week of leaking unauthorized information and escorted from the building.

The discord, according to current and former defense officials, includes: screaming matches in his inner office among aides; a growing distrust of the thousands of military and civilian personnel who staff the building; and bureaucratic logjams that have slowed down progress on some of President Trump’s key priorities, such as an “Iron Dome for America” missile-defense shield.

Staff members have complained that meetings overseen by Mr. Hegseth’s handpicked chief of staff, Joe Kasper, meander or take pointlessly bawdy turns. One meeting Mr. Kasper led this month, with a group that works with veterans that was offering its services to the Pentagon, devolved into a recounting of an evening Mr. Kasper and a representative of the group spent at a Washington strip club.

Read the full article.

3 civilian DoD officials said that their bosses had asked them to provide copies of their résumés so they could prove their “patriotism” to Hegseth’s office… the employees had served in combat; two of them had been wounded in Afghanistan. https://t.co/iFEMzXcF9d

— Lara Korte (@lara_korte) April 22, 2025