Several of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet-level picks drew initial scrutiny for their seemingly unconventional nature, but his choice to lead the Pentagon was -- and remains -- especially controversial to some.
Now, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is drawing scrutiny from the left once more for his decision to remove the first female head of the U.S. Naval Academy, a personnel change critics suggest is part of a larger pattern of anti-female bias, as The Hill reports.
At issue is the recent ousting of Vice Adm. Yvette Davis from the role of superintendent at the Annapolis, Maryland, service academy, a position she was the first woman in history to fill.
As The Hill notes, Davis’ removal is the most recent in a string of similar adjustments that has seen no fewer than five senior military members transitioned out of powerful roles.
Combined with what detractors suggest is Hegseth’s broader bias against women in the military, these changes have created for some an alarming trend that could harm unity and inclusiveness in ranks of the armed forces.
Obama-era Defense Secretary Leon Panetta argued, “It’s hard not to come to the conclusion that it’s going to weaken our military force by undermining the role of women who have become, I believe, an intrinsic part of our military capability.”
Panetta continued, “Just to remove commanders from their positions without cause sends a clear signal that this is not about merit, it’s not about performance, it’s about the fact that they’re women. It’s the only conclusion you can come to.”
However, supporters of Hegseth would assuredly point to a host of high-profile Pentagon departures that include plenty of men as support for the argument that it is not gender bias but rather a desire for transformational change that is driving the personnel decisions.
In the wake of a series of damaging information leaks, Hegseth took steps to remove senior advisor Dan Caldwell earlier this year, with Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll soon to follow, as The Hill noted separately.
It was not long after that John Ullyot, a former press assistant to Hegseth, was shown the door, a move also believed to have been related to leak concerns.
Former Pentagon team lead for the Department of Government Efficiency Yinon Weiss announced his departure from the Defense Department earlier this month, raising eyebrows yet again about Hegseth’s personnel upheaval.
Senior staffer Justin Fulcher, another senior staffer and adviser to Hegseth, also left his position this month, and though he suggested that he only intended to stay at the Pentagon for six months, rumors about the true reasons for his departure and his involvement in probes of prior leaks persisted.
Though Hegseth has been under fire for much of his tenure atop the DoD, with Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) going so far as to say that he regrets voting for his confirmation, the secretary has received support from a seemingly unlikely source, namely, former Vice President Mike Pence, as The Hill separately reported.
Certainly no friend of Trump’s, Pence stepped forward to defend his choice to lead the Pentagon, saying of the criticism Hegseth has received, “I don’t think it’s fair. I’ve known Pete Hegseth a long time – he’s someone who’s worn the uniform. I’m told that we’re exceeding goals in every branch of our armed forces, and so all of that is welcome news and positive,” and that is an assessment with which it is hard to disagree.
