Story thread · 2 reports / 2 sources

Top general under fire from his own ranks as Hegseth chaos creates 'climate of mistrust'

rawstory.com · 22hShare

Rank-and-file military officers are openly wondering whether the nation's top general has what it takes to stand up to Pete Hegseth as the defense secretary's personal "culture war" tears through the Pentagon, according to a deep dive from The New York Times. The target of the "doubts" is Gen. Dan Caine , chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the top military adviser to Hegseth and President Donald Trump. Officers up to and including four-star generals are asking whether Caine has been too timid to protect the force as Hegseth "purges career officers" on a scale unlike anything seen in the Pentagon's modern history, slaps new limits on "where officers can study and what they can write in academic papers," and orders sweeping polygraph tests meant to sniff out leakers. "Current and former military officials describe Mr. Hegseth’s tumultuous tenure as a persistent distraction that has pulled top leaders away from focusing on these priorities and fed a climate of mistrust in the top r

First report: Trying to Rid the Pentagon of Culture Wars, Hegseth Has Created His Own — nytimes.com, 1d