Paul Mcleary

The ousted advisers, in their first public comments, praised the administration but made no mention of their former boss, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

“The last month has been a full-blown meltdown at the Pentagon,” John Ullyot, the former top Defense Department spokesperson, wrote in a POLITICO Magazine opinion piece.

The Pentagon is in “total chaos” and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is unlikely to remain in his role, according to its former top spokesperson, who painted a scene of dysfunction, backstabbing and continuous missteps at the highest levels of the department. “The building is in disarray under Hegseth’s leadership,” John Ullyot wrote Sunday in a POLITICO Magazine opinion piece. “The dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president — who deserves better from his senior leadership.” Ullyot, who resigned from the Pentagon last week, described a department in collapse. He accused Hegseth’s team of “falsehoods”

A feud between the secretary's advisers and his chief of staff created backbiting and distrust that has erupted into the open.

The tech mogul's public pullback will come as relief to some Cabinet officials.

The move is another setback for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has made culture war issues a major part of his role.

The departure of the Defense secretary's top advisers has left the first-time government official without senior staff who understand Washington.

The circle of top advisers in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s orbit has shrunk in recent days to little more than his wife, lawyer, and two lower-level officials — leaving the Pentagon’s lead office without longtime expertise or clear direction. Hegseth’s decision to fire three senior aides last week and reassign his chief of staff has blown a hole in his leadership team, severing essential lines of communication across the department and leading to fears about dangerous slip-ups such as weapons program delays. The wholesale turnover just 100 days into Hegseth’s tenure has been remarkable for its speed. And it has left the first-time government official without trusted staff who understand Washington

Foreign embassies were invited — then uninvited — after backlash from U.S. allies.

“It would be like the United States moving into the Qatari embassy,” Sen. Roger Wicker said.