As military tensions between the United States and Iran continue, foreign media reported that conflict between Defense Minister Pete Hegseth and Army Minister Dan Driscoll has erupted into an open clash, deepening chaos inside the Pentagon.
According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 19th, the two men's conflict began right after Minister Driscoll took office early last year. When Driscoll, a Yale Law School classmate and closest aide of Vice President JD Vance, proposed that President Donald Trump and the vice president visit Army units, Minister Hegseth reportedly rebuked him, saying, "I am in charge. Do not cross the line." The army chief tried to lead a schedule that connected directly to the White House, which the defense minister took as an encroachment on authority.
WSJ said their relationship deteriorated from there. In particular, when President Trump sent Minister Driscoll, instead of Defense Minister Hegseth, as special envoy for Ukraine cease-fire talks, analysts said Hegseth's sense of isolation and wariness grew. Even within the Ministry of National Defense, it was deemed unusual that the army minister, who typically oversees troop operations and equipment, was assigned to diplomatic negotiations.
The conflict exploded over personnel matters. According to WSJ, Minister Hegseth demanded earlier this year that Black and female officers, as well as Col. Dave Butler, a close aide to former the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Chair Mark Milley, be excluded from the promotion list for generals, but Minister Driscoll refused. Hegseth then reportedly called Army Chief of Staff Randy George on Apr. 2, while Driscoll was on leave, and notified him of his dismissal in just one minute. Former Chief George is regarded as a key Army figure who served for more than 40 years.
Minister Driscoll later publicly backed General George at a congressional hearing, calling him "a leader of remarkable change." In effect, he defied the defense minister's decision. Inside the Pentagon, some criticized that Minister Hegseth, conscious of his shaky standing, was carrying out personnel moves akin to a purge. Mark Montgomery, a former Navy rear admiral, noted, "Neutralizing the Army's top leadership in a wartime situation is the worst decision."
Questions over Minister Hegseth's leadership are flaring again. WSJ reported that he had already suffered multiple blows to his credibility after controversies including sharing classified war plans on Signal, a civilian messenger app, and the successive resignations of close aides amid allegations of leaking classified information. Recently, Democratic House members also introduced articles of impeachment against Minister Hegseth, citing, among other issues, his carrying out strikes on Iran without congressional authorization.
The White House sought to tamp things down, saying, "With the help of the two leaders, the military's combat power has been strengthened." Minister Driscoll also said, "I have no plans to resign," but his statement made no mention of his direct superior, Minister Hegseth.
WSJ analyzed that this clash goes beyond a simple difference in temperament and stems from a mix of power insecurity and personnel strife. Some also said such structural conflicts will be hard to resolve quickly.