Overview

• Hegseth rejected Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Sims II’s promotion after initially approving it once leak allegations were cleared.
• Gen. Dan Caine personally lobbied Hegseth to reverse his decision, marking an unusually public dispute between civilian and military leaders.
• Pentagon insiders warn Hegseth’s loyalty tests and polygraph threats have eroded trust and threatened force effectiveness.
• A series of high-profile firings and resignations has left Hegseth with only a skeleton civilian team to manage his office.
• Congressional leaders fault Hegseth for unilaterally pausing critical Ukraine arms shipments without adequate coordination with the White House.