The Economist: “A year and a half ago, few would have wagered that Pete Hegseth would consolidate power at the Pentagon. Narrowly confirmed by the Senate amid allegations of financial mismanagement in prior jobs and heavy drinking, which Mr Hegseth denied, the former Fox News weekend host and voluble culture warrior appeared badly underqualified and no match for the generals and admirals he would direct.”

“In office, the secretary of war has skirted scandal, be it mishandling classified information or forcing polygraph tests on his underlings. But far from seeing his power wane, Mr Hegseth has firmly taken control of his department and the military’s leadership. A rolling purge of America’s armed forces has cleared out his rivals and those deemed insufficiently loyal.”

“Army Secretary Dan Driscoll’s resignation follows a strained relationship with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and repeated warnings to the White House, including Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, about what has been described as Hegseth’s widespread and seemingly indiscriminate firing of senior military officers,” ABC News reports.

“Driscoll also warned the White House about unprecedented efforts by Hegseth to block others from advancing into the military’s highest ranks after they had been thoroughly vetted.”

“President Trump said he’s nominating Navy veteran Hung Cao to become the service’s top civilian leader, a job that has been vacant since spring when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed John Phelan out of the job,” the Wall Street Journal reports.