The Pentagon's Leak Hunt: A Leadership Divided

The Pentagon is in a bit of a mess. A former top official has some harsh words for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Colin Carroll, who used to be the chief of staff to the deputy defense secretary, thinks Hegseth is way too focused on finding leaks. He said that half of Hegseth's day is spent on this leak investigation. Carroll thinks this is not good for the country or the president's plans. Carroll was let go from his job a few weeks back. He was asked if he thought Hegseth was doing okay. He wasn't sure. He said Hegseth can be great in meetings but sometimes gets stuck on small, weird details. Carroll called it "a tale of two Petes. "He also said that the Pentagon might have more issues with its own team than with the so-called "deep state" bureaucrats. There's been a lot of shuffling around in the Pentagon. Some of Hegseth's close allies were pushed out. A source said this was because of a "turf war" with Joe Kasper, who was also Hegseth's chief of staff. Kasper was accused of being a poor manager. Carroll said Kasper was erratic and not always normal. Kasper, on the other hand, accused Carroll and another official of trying to start an investigation against him. Carroll wishes the Pentagon had done a better job investigating leaks. He thinks there are leakers and that they should have been investigated properly. He also said he's not just a disgruntled former employee. He upended his life to come back to the Pentagon. He thinks the Pentagon has a culture of fear and toxicity that's hard to recover from. This could mess up the president's agenda, like building a "Golden Dome" missile defense system. Hegseth has said the Pentagon will make referrals for prosecution once the leak investigation is done. Carroll thinks this is a bad move and that Hegseth was unprepared for a recent interview. He thinks Hegseth just wanted to appear combative for the president. Kasper, however, thinks the talk of dysfunction is just an argument of convenience. He says the first 90 days of the president's term were a success. The Pentagon was asked for a comment but did not respond. It's clear that there's a lot of tension and disagreement within the Pentagon's leadership. This could make it hard for them to get things done and achieve the president's goals. It's a complex situation with many moving parts and differing opinions. It's important to remember that these are just one person's views and that there are always multiple sides to every story.