A deepening rift between two senior advisers to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has thrown the Pentagon into a state of quiet crisis. Image: Startribune
(The Post News)- A widening rift within two of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s most senior advisers has thrown the Pentagon into a de facto crisis, with officials likening the chaos to a new kind of Cold War — not against external foes but inside the hallowed halls of America’s own military command.
According to The Washington Post and other officials, the contentious relationship between long-time Army Sgt. Maj. Eric Geressy and former Marine Corps pilot Ricky Buria has become a symbol of a broader breakdown of discipline and unity in the Defense Department under Hegseth.
Sources close to the situation describe a department plagued by internal disarray, marked by personality clashes, leadership void, and an air of paranoia over potential political fallout particularly after a series of scandals and hotly debated personnel actions that have attracted White House attention.
“There’s a cold war that rages in between flash points,” said one official of The Post, describing ongoing flare-ups of tension within Hegseth’s tight-knit group. “It’s unnerving at times.”
The most volatile dynamic pits Geressy against Buria, former battle buddies now turned foes. Geressy, a battle-hardened veteran who mentored Hegseth during their Iraq tour of duty, is now in charge of the Joint Service Interagency Advisory Group (JSIAG), tasked with combating Mexican drug cartels. Buria, promoted to acting chief of staff, is considered by some peers too ambitious for the job and responsible for advancing at the expense of others, including Geressy.
Tensions boiled over in March following the “Signalgate” debacle, when a group Signal chat room that included Hegseth and senior officials was inadvertently sent to a reporter. Geressy was excluded from some senior-level meetings and blamed Buria for masterminding the cut-off.
Geressy purportedly warned employees that the White House viewed Buria as “self-important,” while Buria, with the assistance of Hegseth’s wife Jennifer, negotiated himself into a secure civilian role following his Marine Corps retirement.
The feud has raised alarms in the West Wing. President Trump, when asked Sunday about reports that Buria had privately insulted him and Vice President J.D. Vance, replied: “I don’t know who he is. I’ll check it out.” The lack of clear support reflects broader doubts in the administration about Hegseth’s grip on the Pentagon.
Since assuming office in January, Hegseth, a former Fox News talk show host, has fired a number of top military officers, including his former chief of staff and a three-star general, Lt. Gen. Jennifer Short. Critics noted that some of the firings disproportionately included women, and raised even more questions about internal politics and personnel choices.
Following the recent upheavals, Hegseth installed Buria and three others as senior advisers, including Sean Parnell, a former Senate candidate and longtime Hegseth acquaintance, who is now spokesman. But Parnell has provided only one press briefing since March and has been unable to quell reports of disorder.
Seasoned insiders describe a more and more lost department. Dozens of top jobs remain unfilled, morale is described as being low, and fresh hires like 32-year-old Justin Fulcher, an independent tech billionaire with ties to Elon Musk’s DOGE venture have generated internal unrest. Fulcher and fellow new adviser Patrick Weaver are described as having scant defense experience, contributing to the worry.
Adding fuel to the chaos, Hegseth has just limited news media access at the Pentagon, which The Pentagon Press Association protested and termed the new policy “a direct attack on the freedom of the press.”
Critics like Parnell, however, contend the team is held together by a “warrior ethos” and is all about results. “Workforce realignments are a natural and necessary part of any highly successful organization,” Parnell said. “Americans don’t care about palace intrigue — they care about action.”.
But with Congress poised to hold public budget hearings and Democratic lawmakers ratcheting up their criticism, questions remain whether Hegseth will be able to get his fractured team in order or if the Trump administration will need to intervene.
For the time being, the Pentagon remains plagued by infighting, its leadership riven, and its future unclear.
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