Several months into Pete Hegseth’s tenure as defense secretary, the White House has been unable to secure qualified senior advisers or a chief of staff willing to join his team. This difficulty follows White House rejection of Hegseth’s preferred chief of staff, retired military aide Ricky Buria, partly due to his political inexperience and past private criticisms of Trump and Vance.
Hegseth’s term has faced turmoil, including the suspension and firing of senior aides amid a leak investigation and controversy over sharing sensitive military details in Signal group chats with family and aides.
At least three people have declined roles under Hegseth, contributing to delays in Pentagon priorities like the Golden Dome missile defense budget, which has frustrated Republicans on Capitol Hill.
Ongoing personnel issues and internal conflicts have hindered Hegseth’s performance, leading Vice President JD Vance and Susan Wiles, the White House chief of staff, to become involved in helping recruit appropriate advisers.
