Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s attempts to rein in the chaos at the Pentagon are only creating more internal turmoil, according to a report from The Washington Post.
The Post, citing unnamed sources, paints a picture of intense dysfunction and infighting among Hegseth’s inner circle. Tensions are reportedly so high that some are questioning whether the already under-fire defense secretary can keep his job if he doesn’t get the situation under control.
The Post also suggests Pentagon staff are in a constant state of “paranoia” over what crisis might hit the department next.
“There’s a cold war that exists in between flash points,” one source told the Post, citing multiple examples of in-house conflict. “It’s unsettling at times.”
Since taking over, Hegseth’s tenure has been dogged by scandal and controversy. This includes the furor over the existence of a Signal group chat where Trump administration officials discussed attacking Houthi rebels in Yemen which The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was accidentally added to.
Hegseth has also fired multiple staffers in an effort to plug damaging leaks coming out of the Pentagon, including alleged proposals to deploy U.S. troops to Panama to reclaim the Central American country’s trading canal.
The Post reports that internal conflicts are reaching a boiling point, with one feud in particular drawing the most attention.
According to sources, the escalating tension between Ricky Buria and Eric Geressy is causing the most concern. Geressy, a senior aide to Hegseth, accuses Buria—Hegseth’s military assistant—of sabotaging others to advance his own career. Geressy also blames Buria for him being excluded from a recent trip to the Pacific involving key Pentagon staffers.
Buria, who previously served as a junior military aide under former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, was in line to replace Joe Kasper as Hegseth’s chief of staff. Kasper resigned after Hegseth fired three of his aides—Deputy Chief of Staff Darin Selnick, Chief of Staff Colin Carroll, and Senior Adviser Dan Caldwell—in response to ongoing leaks.
A former Marine Corps pilot, Buria has reportedly rubbed many senior military officials the wrong way during his rapid rise in the Pentagon and growing closeness to Hegseth. The White House allegedly blocked his promotion to chief of staff, citing concerns that his inexperience would result in more scandals. Despite this, The Post reports that Buria is effectively acting as Hegseth’s chief of staff anyway even though the role has not officially been filled.
Geressy is also alleged to be considering resigning after becoming exasperated at the staff tensions, CNN first reported in April.
Hegseth’s chief spokesperson, Sean Parnell, downplayed the drama in a statement to the Daily Beast:
“Making workforce adjustments are a natural and necessary feature of any highly effective organization—especially during a transition, and Secretary Hegseth is committed to ensuring the Department of Defense has the right people in the right positions to execute President Trump’s agenda,” Parnell said.
“Americans outside the beltway don’t care about ‘palace intrigue’ or sensationalized, mainstream media gossip—they care about action.”
Even before he was confirmed as defense secretary, Hegseth was met with concerns about whether the former Fox News host had the required experience to lead the Pentagon, as well as criticism about his personal conduct.
This includes discussions about his heavy drinking, and allegations of sexual assault, which Hegseth denies.
