Overview
- An Oct. 15 directive from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth requires most Pentagon contacts with lawmakers to route through legislative affairs with prior approval, which the department says will improve accuracy and responsiveness.
- At a Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing, members of both parties faulted the policy office led by Elbridge Colby, with Republicans Dan Sullivan and Tom Cotton calling it unresponsive and a "pigpen-like mess."
- A key flashpoint was the announced withdrawal of a U.S. brigade from Romania: nominee Austin Dahmer said Congress was briefed multiple times, while Chairman Roger Wicker and other senators said no such briefings occurred.
- Dahmer disputed reports of earlier pauses to Ukraine aid and other controversial moves, attributing them to inaccurate coverage, as senators pressed for clarity on AUKUS reviews and an unnotified rename of his prospective job.
- Committee leaders also publicized unanswered requests to Hegseth for copies of orders and legal rationale for lethal strikes on alleged drug boats, underscoring broader complaints about delayed or incomplete information.