Conservative commentator Bill Kristol has warned that unrest inside the US military may be far deeper than is publicly visible, pointing to an extraordinary increase in leaks from senior defence circles. His comments came less than 24 hours after Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll resigned following months of reported tensions with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over the direction of the Army and the removal of senior officers. Pentagon tensions are spilling into public view According to the Wall Street Journal, Driscoll clashed with Hegseth over Army modernisation, readiness and personnel decisions, including the firing of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George. Driscoll reportedly warned President Donald Trump that removing experienced commanders was damaging Army readiness and complicating its transformation. Kristol said the confrontation reminded him of the George W. Bush administration in 2006, when then-Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld faced mounting criticism over the Iraq war. ‘You have to burn a lot of bridges’ Kristol argued that Hegseth’s approach has been so radical that replacing him could prove difficult for the administration. He said anyone willing to take the job would have to accept the political fallout from continuing to fire senior generals and reshape the military along Hegseth’s lines. “You have to be willing to burn a lot of bridges to do what Hegseth is doing,” Kristol said. The leaks are raising a bigger question Kristol described the volume of information reaching the media from senior military circles as “astonishing”. Yet he stressed there has not been a “literal rebellion” involving four-star generals publicly resigning and condemning the administration. That could change if dissatisfaction among senior commanders continues to deepen. Even Trump loyalists may be uneasy Kristol and Sam Stein also discussed Admiral Daryl Caudle, the Chief of Naval Operations and a figure regarded as aligned with the Trump administration. Kristol argued that if even someone like Caudle were showing signs of disagreement, it could indicate the discontent extends well beyond officers associated with previous administrations. “The depth of discontent and the rebellion in the military is greater than one can see right now,” Kristol said. Bill Kristol: The 'rebellion in the military may be greater than we can see'
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