A group of current military officers and civilian staff at the Pentagon have allegedly discussed launching a public pressure campaign aimed at removing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth from office, according to a report by The Daily Mail published Wednesday.
The initiative, reportedly organized during a private meeting in May, involves drafting a letter outlining concerns with Hegseth’s leadership and performance. According to the report, the group consists of officials from every military branch except the Coast Guard and includes multiple individuals with more than two decades of service.
“The message would be stronger coming from current rather than retired DOD personnel,” one of the unnamed officials told The Daily Mail.
The group reportedly debated how to publicize the letter—via traditional media, a paid newspaper ad, or through a custom website—while weighing the risks to those who sign it.
Sources said the letter has been written, but final decisions about how and when to release it remain unresolved. A targeted publication date of July 25 has been floated, which would mark Hegseth’s sixth month in office.
The officials are said to be consulting with public relations professionals and community organizers to expand the effort while attempting to shield signatories from professional repercussions.
Pentagon Response
In response, Sean Parnell, Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, pushed back against the report during an appearance on War Room, a podcast hosted by Steve Bannon.
“Where were all these people and their anonymous deep state letters when Secretary Austin disappeared for a week or during the disastrous surrender of Afghanistan?” Parnell said, dismissing the letter’s authors as “anonymous deep state hacks.”
He further criticized the timing of the report, saying it undermined the department’s recent military successes.
“This is palace intrigue, sensationalized mainstream media gossip that Americans don’t care about. They care about action,” Parnell told The Daily Mail, referencing the recent “Midnight Hammer” strike on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
“ANONYMOUS DEEP STATE HACKS” LETTER IN PENTAGON AGAINST HEGSETH-“COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS”
“Where were all these people and their anonymous deep state letters when Sec. Austin disappeared for a week…during the disastrous surrender of Afghanistan?” @SeanParnellUSA@Bannons_WarRoom pic.twitter.com/NcpUrYq3CC
— Real America’s Voice (RAV) (@RealAmVoice) July 23, 2025
