Pentagon officials criticise Hegseth's "because I said so" leadership policy

U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing criticism from current and former Pentagon officials over his leadership style and a series of personnel changes that have reshaped the department's senior ranks, according to sources cited by The Daily Mail.

Citing four Defence Department insiders, the newspaper reported that Hegseth has resisted advice on personnel decisions, policy changes and other issues, while removing senior military leaders and replacing some of them with officials viewed as politically aligned with President Donald Trump.

One Army officer told the newspaper: “Expertise, intelligence, lessons learned, data are out the window.”

A civilian Pentagon official also criticised Hegseth's decision-making. “He lets politics and ego inform his decisions. It's always just ‘because I said so’ with Pete – no input, no ‘let's talk this through, just his way or the highway because he said so.”

The Daily Mail said the phrase "because I said so" has become a refrain among some Pentagon staff, who use it to describe what they see as Hegseth's management style.

Responding to the allegations, Acting Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez rejected the criticism.

“This is a stupid, false claim.”

Hegseth had forced out General Chris Donahue, who previously commanded U.S. Army forces in Europe and Africa and is widely known as the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan during the 2021 withdrawal.

One source who had worked with Donahue described his departure as damaging to morale.

According to the report, Donahue's departure followed that of General Randy George and came amid a broader reshuffle that has seen more than a dozen generals and admirals leave their posts during Hegseth's tenure.

The Daily Mail reported that some of its sources believe several of the replacements were selected because of their loyalty to Trump and their opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies.

Another source said the dismissals had undermined confidence within the armed forces.

The report also said some Pentagon officials criticised Hegseth's efforts to eliminate DEI programmes within the U.S. military, arguing that the measures have further politicised the Defence Department.

By Sabina Mammadli