A former secretary of the Air Force who was stripped of his security clearance by the Trump administration last month accused Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of leading a “culture of fear” at the Pentagon where commanders feared speaking their minds due to the risk of losing their careers. Frank Kendall III told ABC’s This Week that the Trump administration policies in regards to America’s military were coming at the cost of seasoned military leadership who were either quitting or being intimidated into silence by Hegseth, the former Fox News host now running the Department of Defense. Because people are afraid to tell him things that he doesn’t want to hear,” Kendall said of Hegseth on Sunday during an interview with Martha Raddatz.
His comments come following the resignation of Dan Driscoll, a key ally of Vice President JD Vance who’d clashed with Hegseth for months in his position as secretary of the Army. Driscoll’s resignation was just the latest departure in a wave of exits made by members of top brass over the past year. Other departures have included Navy Secretary John Phelan and the former chief of staff of the Air Force, General David W.
Allvin, who quit two years into a four-year posting. Others including some who’ve clashed with Hegseth have been asked to step down. The secretary has also blocked the promotions of dozens of generals and admirals, disproportionately women and minorities Those blocked promotions have been a source of contention between Hegseth and Congress.
Members of both parties have accused him of damaging readiness and command structures, while the secretary maintains that the moves are part of efforts to ensure that the military has the “right leadership”, without explaining what that means. As secretary of Defense, Hegseth has sought to redub the agency the “War Department” and spread what he calls a “warrior” culture at the Pentagon. The evolution of the Pentagon under that banner has amounted to a fixation on “lethality”, including new image and fitness standards for troops and a hypermasculine tone adopted by the secretary in his public remarks and statements.
Under the same effort, Hegseth has dismantled diversity programs and taken aim at any policy seen as “woke” or supportive of so-called liberal values like inclusion. He has also directed the Pentagon to host religious sermons, including one hosted in February by a right-wing Christian nationalist pastor. Hegseth has fired back at his critics even as resignations and firings continue to pile up under his watch and Republicans on the Hill increasingly take aim at his leadership abilities.
His spokesman Sean Parnell attacked reporters for writing about a “worn out and manufactured” narrative after Driscoll’s announcement of his resignation last Monday. The secretary has not commented directly on Driscoll’s departure. Thom Tillis issued a scathing criticism of Hegseth that repeatedly referenced allegations of the secretary’s drinking habits after Driscoll stepped down last week.
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