Panetta: Hegseth is ‘undermining the strength’ of the US military

Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta blasted current Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Thursday for “undermining the strength” of the U.S. military.

“I think the secretary is undermining the strength of our military — and particularly the Army — by creating the kind of turmoil in the command structure that he’s been creating,” Panetta told host Wolf Blitzer on CNN’s “The Situation Room.”

During his 19-plus months in the job, Hegseth has prioritized what he calls the “warrior ethos” — pushing the armed services to embrace higher physical standards. But his tenure has also featured upheaval in the senior ranks of the Pentagon, as he seeks to impose his will on the department.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, an ally of Vice President Vance, resigned this week after months of turmoil with Hegseth.

Hegseth also ousted Army chief of staff Gen. Randy George in April and has blocked promotions of four Army officers with ties to branch officials he sacked. The current Defense secretary this week similarly removed six Army officers from two-star general consideration, a source familiar with the matter told The Hill.

Panetta, who led the Pentagon and CIA during the Obama administration, said Hegseth is dismissing “command structures” that bring “experience and leadership to the position.”

Those moves, the former Defense secretary argued, leave the U.S. vulnerable — particularly amid the ongoing war with Iran , which has depleted the Pentagon’s stockpiles of long-range interceptors .

“It isn’t the Secretary that is leading those people on the battlefield, it is those commanders,” Panetta told Blitzer. “And when you get rid of those commanders, and when you get rid of the secretary of the Army, what you do is you create turmoil, which damages the ability of the Army to do its job, particularly at a time of war.”

Multiple GOP lawmakers have criticized Hegseth’s leadership of the Pentagon, with outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) calling him “inept” Wednesday and urging President Trump to fire him.