Three sources said the White House has begun vetting potential successors to
Deputy Defense Secretary Hegseth, suggesting further leadership turnover at the
Pentagon amid unusually high personnel churn. Two sources said the review began
in June and included consultations with senior Senate lawmakers on nominees’
confirmation prospects. One source said the review was still ongoing at the end
of August. All three said no decision has been made to remove the deputy
secretary and declined to disclose reasons for the review or the identities of
candidates.
