A wave of new reporting from inside the Pentagon – from concerns over the prolonged Iran operation to questions about what Secretary of War Pete Hegseth – as one top official resigns from his post.
Driscoll Resigns
As covered on Tuesday’s AM Update, a major shakeup at the Pentagon this week as Army Secretary Dan Driscoll reportedly submitted his resignation to President Trump.
The Wall Street Journal reported late Monday that Driscoll was expected to leave the Pentagon in the coming days after months of reported tension with Secretary Hegseth over the direction of the Army and the removal of several senior officers. Driscoll had previously been expected to step down sometime this year.
His departure leaving the Army without a Senate-confirmed civilian leader or a Senate-confirmed officer serving as its top uniformed commander. Army Undersecretary Mike Obadal is set to become the service’s highest-ranking civilian official once Driscoll leaves.
The White House praised Driscoll’s tenure with spokesperson Anna Kelly saying he has been “highly effective” in advancing the president’s agenda and pointing to his leadership during military operations, his focus on readiness, and his involvement in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
Influencer Drama
The leadership change coming amid several other reports about the controversial inner workings of the Pentagon, including allegedly secretly using social media influencers to advance Secretary Hegseth’s agenda.
The Washington Post reported retired Air Force Colonel Rob Maness and retired Army Colonel Kurt Schlichter are among the conservative influencers and commentators with active government email addresses. Both men served for decades in uniform before becoming commentators with large followings on X.
The Post reported the men were brought in by the Pentagon either as special government employees or “highly qualified experts,” specialized positions that can be paid or unpaid. The paper said it could not determine their compensation or exactly when their assignments began.
Prolonged Concerns
Meanwhile, another report raised questions about the toll of the prolonged US military operation in Iran. The Washington Post reported several top military leaders have warned Secretary Hegseth that continuing large-scale operations against Iran at their current level risks weakening the military’s ability to respond to threats elsewhere.
The concerns reportedly appeared in an August 14 classified assessment prepared for the secretary with input from the heads of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
Some American forces sent to the Middle East have reportedly been directed to remain there through September as other deployments set to stretch into 2027. One person familiar with the assessment described the overall message from military leaders as “too much for too long.”
Latest Strikes on Iran
The concerns coming as fighting between the U.S. and Iran heats up again following roughly a month without confirmed American strikes. U.S. forces struck Iranian rocket launchers near the Strait of Hormuz Sunday after CENTCOM said members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard were observed preparing to launch rockets and deploy sea mines into the critical shipping lane.
The U.S. described the strike as a “limited, precise action.” Iran later said it launched missiles toward U.S. sites in Jordan.
President Trump then weighed in with a very different kind of imagery, posting a cartoonish video to Truth Social depicting Iran’s critical Kharg Island oil hub being destroyed and writing that it was being “blown to smithereens.” There is no evidence Kharg Island was actually attacked.
Hegseth 2028?
Finally, from what Secretary Hegseth is dealing with at the Pentagon to speculation about what he might want to do next. NBC News spoke with two people reportedly familiar with private conversations who claim Secretary Hegseth and his wife Jennifer have recently floated the possibility of a presidential run in 2028.
The speculation got another boost after the secretary traveled to the Iowa State Fair earlier this month on behalf of Republican Congressman Zach Nunn.
Hegseth denied reports of 2028 ambitions, calling it “100% false.” Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told NBC, “Secretary Hegseth is not running for president, and his main priority is leading the War Department. All other speculation is foolish.”
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