Ongoing1 earlier update4 days

This story has run 2 times over 4 days, starting Aug 31.

Aug 31Military leaders told Hegseth prolonged Iran operations would leave the U.S. exposed elsewhere
Sep 4Panetta says Hegseth is "undermining the strength" of the military after 6 Army officers are pulled from the two-star promotion list — this issue

Panetta says Hegseth is "undermining the strength" of the military after 6 Army officers are pulled from the two-star promotion list

Political Guyentist · September 4, 20261 min read

Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Pete Hegseth is damaging the armed forces through constant churn at the top, and that repairing it will take "several years, or a decade". The six officers were cut from a slate of 18 a peer review board had already approved; two are Black and two are women, and the Pentagon has given no reason. The criticism followed Army Secretary Dan Driscoll's resignation on Sept. 1.

At least 20 uniformed and civilian defense leaders have been fired, forced out or have resigned since Hegseth took office in January 2025, per a CBS News tally.
A May 2025 Hegseth memo ordered 20% cuts to four-star and general-officer ranks and 10% cuts more broadly.
Days earlier, Hegseth blocked four other officers from one-star promotions; some had worked for two commanders he had already pushed out.

What we’re less sure of4 of 10 claims

Medium
Panetta predicted it will "take several years, or a decade" to repair and restore the traditional system.
Explicitly attributed forecast by Panetta; the desk reports that he said it rather than adopting the timeline.
Medium
A Pentagon official who backs Hegseth told the Washington Examiner that Driscoll "furthered some modernization efforts, really worked on drone dominance," but "Dan Driscoll was not that guy... we want someone that can execute radical change."
Single unnamed Pentagon official quoted via the Washington Examiner; attribution to that outlet is explicit.
Medium
Driscoll's camp says Hegseth was blocking readiness work by firing the generals running it.
Attributed to Driscoll's camp; an interested-party characterization rather than verified fact.
Medium
At least 20 uniformed and civilian defense leaders have been fired, forced out or resigned since Hegseth took office in January 2025.
Explicitly attributed to a CBS News tally; a single outlet's running count, though Axios and the Washington Post keep similar lists.