On May 3, 2026, The Guardian reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been accompanied to official meetings by his wife, Jennifer, a former Fox News producer who frequently sits at the back of the room. The Independent followed with the same report. Insiders told the Guardian that Hegseth is increasingly isolated within the Pentagon, and some said he expresses fear and paranoia about Trump firing him.
Hegseth's close circle includes his brother, Phil, whom he appointed as a senior adviser, and Tim Parlatore, an attorney who has represented both Hegseth and Trump. Most of the day-to-day running of the department, which has about 2.1 million military personnel and 770,000 civilian employees, is overseen by Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, the billionaire owner of an investment firm. Hegseth has focused on issues of personal interest, including the Pentagon's chaplain services.
Hegseth has fired or forcibly retired 24 generals and senior commanders, with no performance-related reason given, and about 60% of them have been Black or female, the Guardian reported. Navy Secretary John Phelan was forced out in April. Fox News Pentagon correspondent Jennifer Griffin reported that Hegseth and Phelan butted heads when Phelan refused to ignore a federal judge's ruling that punishing Sen. Mark Kelly over a video about illegal orders would violate his First Amendment rights; Griffin also reported that “Hegseth wanted Kelly, a retired Navy captain and former astronaut, brought back onto active duty and stripped of his rank.” Trump said publicly that Phelan “had some conflicts with some other people, mostly as to building and buying new ships.”
Retired Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton told the Guardian the firings match Project 2025: “It talked about an officer purge and going after the so-called woke officers at the senior level.” He said, “They want to create ideologically pure armed forces that will be pliant to the president and his secretary of defense and whose oath will be more to a person than to the constitution.” He added: “You develop a fracture in the cohesion of the people at that level. It is if you haven't been purged, you wonder if you are next if you say the wrong thing to the man or woman on your left or right that may invoke the wrath of the secretary of defense or the president.” Former Army colonel Kevin Carroll said, “There was tension between the office of the secretary of defense and the joint chiefs of staff when I served on the joint staff in 2002 and 2003 because of disagreements about Iraq over whether and how we should go to war,” and added, “But it was all very professional and civil. This is just disarray. It's crazy.”
Update (October 2, 2026): On Aug. 19, 2026, The New York Times reported that Jennifer Hegseth is her husband's most influential adviser: she “has prepped him for appearances, sat in on his meetings with journalists, interviewed potential members of his staff” and brainstormed ideas for Defense Department videos. Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the department “actively plans to involve her even more deeply in the future.”
Correction (October 2, 2026): The title previously said Hegseth had fired “more than 24” generals; the Guardian reports 24 fired or forcibly retired. We removed claims that Jennifer Hegseth's formal Pentagon role is undisclosed and that Feinberg had no prior major Defense Department experience, which our sources do not support. The Phelan account is now attributed to Fox News, alongside Trump's stated reason, and the cited Guardian tag page has been replaced with the Guardian's article.