Overview

• Vice President J.D. Vance and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles have led recruitment efforts but multiple candidates have declined or been disqualified for insufficient political alignment
• Hegseth suspended senior advisers Dan Caldwell, Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll in April over unproven leak allegations and was stripped of oversight after revealing operational plans in a non-secure Signal chat
• A Pentagon internal review found no evidence that the suspended aides leaked information, prompting the White House to assign the investigation to Deputy Secretary Stephen Feinberg
• Officials ordered Hegseth last month to cancel a planned stop in Israel and travel with President Trump on Air Force One, underscoring tighter White House control of his foreign engagements
• Despite his staffing and security challenges, Hegseth has eliminated Pentagon DEI programs and presided over a notable uptick in military recruitment