US senator criticizes Pentagon chief about internal transparency

WASHINGTON

US Sen. Jack Reed on Wednesday criticized defense chief Pete Hegseth for a lack of transparency and internal accountability at the Pentagon.

Hegseth, along with Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, and facing questions about strike options preparations against Iran.

“You have pledged to be transparent as secretary of defense, yet to date, you have not held a single press conference at the Pentagon. Instead, you have evicted news outlets in the building, overwhelmingly restricted press access and searched for leaks within your own staff, even threatening general officers with polygraph tests. This is not transparency, and it is a disservice to the American people who deserve to know what the military is doing,” Reed said in his opening statement.

Reed said, according to media reports, Hegseth has threatened polygraph tests for members of the military.

“As I said in my opening statement, this is a dangerous world. You know that, and this turmoil in your office is not contributing,” Reed said.

“I would just say the media loves sensational headlines that are not connected at all to reality,” Hegseth replied.

Hegseth was also criticized by other senators for firing several of “the most accomplished” “generals and admirals with “no explanation, no replacement.”

The Department of Defense (DOD) released a memo in March that said it is investigating “recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information,” and is planning to use polygraphs as part of the probe.

“The use of polygraphs in the execution of this investigation will be in accordance with applicable law and policy,” DOD Chief of Staff Joe Kasper wrote in the memo.

“This investigation will commence immediately and culminate in a report to the Secretary of Defense,” according to the memo.