Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—widely viewed by insiders as in over his head—skips critical Ukraine diplomacy while Army Secretary Dan Driscoll leads high-stakes talks with Kyiv and Moscow.
While senior national security officials shuttle between Kyiv, Abu Dhabi, and Brussels to hash out the framework for a potential ceasefire, Hegseth—the nation’s top defense official—is largely sidelined, absorbed instead in culture-war theatrics, MAGA-targeted messaging, and political score-settling that critics say confirm he is not qualified for the job.
Multiple current and former defense officials tell 'TELL IT LIKE IT IS' Defense News that the Pentagon chief appears “in over his head,” “inept,” and “a political showpiece, not a defense secretary.” One called his tenure “a joke—dangerous at worst, embarrassing at best.”
And yet, this dynamic suits the Trump White House perfectly.
