The American vice president has reportedly expressed doubts about how the Department of Defense is managing the conflict in Iran
Tension is growing at the top of the Pentagon. Second The AtlanticJD Vance would have expressed doubts to Donald Trump about the reliability of the briefings prepared by the Department of Defense on the war in Iran. Not only that. The US vice president also reportedly showed concern about the state of Washington’s missile stockpile. If confirmed, this would further prove the existence of ongoing fibrillations between Vance and Pete Hegseth. On the other hand, the fact that there were problems between the two is nothing new. The head of the Pentagon has been at loggerheads with the Secretary of the Army, Dan Driscoll, since September: that Driscoll who is notoriously a close friend of the American vice president.
In particular, Hegseth fears that sooner or later he could replace him at the helm of the Department of Defense. It is no coincidence that he tried to weaken him by firing the chief of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, Randy George, at the beginning of April. That George who was Driscoll’s close ally. And in fact, the Secretary of the Army publicly regretted that dismissal during a recent hearing in the House of Representatives: which was obviously a not-so-veiled jab at Hegseth himself.
The current game also moves on several levels. The head of the Pentagon has long feared that he might be fired and is trying to remove all figures who could compete with him. Tension then increased further following the war in Iran. Vance and Marco Rubio were skeptical about the possibility of a full-scale attack against the Islamic Republic: both point to the nominations Republican presidential election in 2028 and therefore have no intention of taking the field for the primaries with an unpopular conflict still ongoing. It is no coincidence that Trump turned to Vance to lead the diplomatic process aimed at ending the Iranian conflict. On the other hand, Hegseth has historically shown himself to be less inclined towards an agreement with Tehran, preferring to maintain a tough approach.
But the Pentagon game is not only played within the US administration. Second The Hillmany Republican senators would be very dissatisfied with the continuous torpedoes decreed by Hegseth. In particular, a certain coldness was recorded especially after George’s dismissal. Such discontent in Congress could make the defense secretary’s seat more shaky. All this, while a possible promotion of Driscoll could strengthen Vance’s political position within the administration. The overall situation remains in flux. But the Pentagon’s game is far from over.
