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The U.S. Secretary of Defense has embarrassed himself with classified information leaks and has proven to be a loyal ambassador of the MAGA ideology within the Pentagon, despite having no prior leadership experience. Nevertheless, he does have one priority that Europe should hope will succeed — and even consider following as an example.
Pete Hegseth, a former anchor for the conservative television network Fox News, became a historic figure in American history the moment he was appointed Secretary of Defense. He is the first Secretary to come directly from the media world. While some former Defense Secretaries have transitioned into media roles after their service — such as Leon Panetta at CNN — the reverse has never before occurred.
At 44 years old, Hegseth is a former Army National Guard officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and led a veterans' advocacy organization. Thus, he cannot be considered a complete outsider to the defense community. However, unlike his predecessors, he has never held a senior leadership position nor participated in political office.
During his Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Hegseth openly admitted that he would need a highly experienced team around him, as he was still learning the role. He has sought to reassure skeptics by arguing that his fresh perspective would benefit the Pentagon.
Former President Trump values Hegseth’s loyalty and media savvy. Republican Senator Roger Wicker defended the appointment, suggesting that Hegseth, as someone untethered to the traditional defense establishment, could drive much-needed reforms.
Indeed, Hegseth has served as a vocal advocate for the MAGA and "America First" ideologies within the Pentagon. In April, CBS News reported that the Secretary had ordered the room adjacent to the Pentagon’s press briefing area to be converted into a makeup studio, intended for preparations ahead of television appearances.
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Upon taking office, Hegseth declared that his guiding principle would be the “restoration of the warrior ethos.” He emphasized that the United States does not seek to start wars, but rather to deter them — and, if necessary, to end conflicts swiftly and decisively with overwhelming force, bringing American soldiers home in victory. To achieve these goals, he pledged to cut Pentagon bureaucracy and redirect more resources toward enhancing combat readiness.
Hegseth also surprised many by firing General Charles Q. Brown in February — only the second Black chairman in the history of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — indirectly accusing previous administrations of appointing leaders who were “politically suitable but insufficiently effective.”
While his rhetoric about "peace through strength" echoes Trump’s first term, the substance of U.S. defense policy has clearly shifted. Under Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis (2017–2019), the focus was largely on combating terrorism in the Middle East (notably the defeat of ISIS) and maintaining strategic deterrence, all while keeping the military insulated from political culture wars.
In contrast, Hegseth, as a loyal messenger of Trump’s agenda, has launched an internal “culture war” within the Pentagon. He has also informed NATO defense ministers that Europe can no longer rely on U.S. military support to the same extent and has redirected strategic focus toward Iran’s sphere of influence (such as the Houthi rebels in Yemen) and the security of the U.S. southern border.
Following two incidents involving the unauthorized disclosure of classified information via the Signal app, Hegseth has come under increasing pressure. Some predict he could meet the same fate as former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who, during Trump's previous term, became the first Pentagon chief in history to be fired by a tweet — just ten weeks before the end of Trump's presidency. Over the course of Trump's first term, the Department of Defense saw a record turnover with four different secretaries (including two acting ones) in just four years.
Hegseth is not the first Secretary of Defense to be caught in a leak scandal. In 2015, it emerged that Barack Obama’s Defense Secretary Ashton Carter had used a personal email account for official business. Likewise, Obama’s cabinet member Leon Panetta, just before being appointed CIA Director, inadvertently revealed classified details — including the name of the unit and its leader responsible for killing Osama bin Laden — at an event attended by a Hollywood screenwriter gathering material for a film.
John Ullyot, who resigned as the Pentagon’s head of communications in April, described the final months of leadership there as a period of "complete disintegration" in a Politico opinion piece, marked by infighting and mistrust that undermined both the Department of Defense’s work and President Trump’s reputation. Ullyot revealed that Hegseth had abruptly fired three of his closest advisers — Dan Caldwell, Colin Carroll, and Darin Selnick — in a single day, accusing them of leaking information without specifying what they had allegedly disclosed.
Ironically, these three had long been among Hegseth’s staunchest allies — Caldwell and Selnick had previously worked alongside him at the conservative veterans’ group Concerned Veterans for America — and their sudden dismissal came as a shock. In a joint statement, the ousted advisers called their firing “heartless” and strongly denied any involvement in leaking information. The incident highlights the growing tension and atmosphere of paranoia at the highest levels of the Pentagon.
Given Trump’s obsession with loyalty — and Hegseth’s clear understanding of how easily a Secretary of Defense can lose the portfolio — no one should expect much stability from the Pentagon this year. Unlike his predecessor Mark Esper, however, Hegseth continues to enjoy Trump’s favor and has outlined several priorities that we, too, should hope will succeed.
Hegseth has emphasized the importance of strengthening America’s defense industrial base and expanding domestic manufacturing capabilities. During a hearing on Capitol Hill in January, he noted that the Pentagon has yet to fully leverage the potential of the U.S. defense industrial base to "cost-effectively deliver capabilities at a relevant speed," stressing the need to accelerate innovation cycles within the defense sector.
According to the Secretary, the United States has for too long relied on the prolonged development of expensive and overly complex platforms that are difficult to replace, instead of focusing on producing innovative, more easily replaceable systems through shorter development cycles. This is a systemic issue: as experts point out, the number of American defense contractors has steadily declined over time, leading to diminished market competition and escalating costs.
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In 2023, the Pentagon, the State Department, and Congress launched an initiative to reform the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process. Hegseth has pledged to continue this effort.
“We need to redesign the process so that when a request is submitted today, it doesn’t take seven years to be fulfilled, but rather three — with less bureaucracy and the most efficient and effective technology possible,” Hegseth said at a press briefing following the controversial February 12 NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels.
To fund his priorities, Hegseth, as a member of the administration, has launched an extensive review of so-called non-lethal government expenditures, aiming to identify $50 billion that can be redirected toward financing Trump’s defense priorities. In addition, a recent commitment has been made to increase the defense budget by 12 percent, bringing it to the trillion-dollar mark.
Commenting on Elon Musk’s so-called DOGE cost-cutting project, Hegseth has stated that the United States should not allow defense spending to fall below three percent of GDP. However, this figure still falls short of the five percent threshold that the United States, often applying a double standard, vigorously demands of its NATO allies.
It has often been said that U.S. Secretaries of Defense fall into two broad categories: thinkers and doers. Thinkers — such as Robert McNamara under President Lyndon B. Johnson, and Ashton Carter — were leaders of strategic vision, exerting their influence quietly from behind closed doors. Doers, by contrast, include figures like Donald Rumsfeld, who carried out sweeping reforms during his first tenure at the Pentagon in the 1970s; Leon Panetta, who forcefully lobbied Congress to secure defense funding; and Jim Mattis, who reorganized America's military footprint across the Middle East.
Hegseth seeks to present himself as a doer — an "agent of change," as he describes it — but critics argue that his actions have thus far been more destructive than constructive, characterized by abrupt firings and internal discord. Few would imagine him in the role of a thinker, given his tendency to approach complex issues through the lens of ideological slogans rather than nuanced analysis.
In this sense, Hegseth represents a new archetype among Secretaries of Defense: one whose strengths lie in public performance and presidential loyalty, but who must constantly prove his ability to master the traditional competencies the office demands. History offers a cautionary note: Secretaries who deviate too sharply from the established mold often find themselves quickly engulfed by intense pressure.