John Ullyot, who until recently was a top Pentagon spokesperson, says Pete Hegseth’s time as defense secretary is likely running out.
In a scathing opinion piece published by Politico on Sunday evening, Ullyot suggested that President Donald Trump may consider dismissing Hegseth as the Pentagon grapples with a string of public affairs crises.
“President Donald Trump has a strong record of holding his top officials to account. Given that, it’s hard to see Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth remaining in his role for much longer,” Ullyot wrote.
Ullyot has vocally backed Hegseth, writing in another piece in December that the veteran and former Fox News host was “well qualified for the job” of leading the Defense Department. Even when he stepped down from the Pentagon earlier this week, Ullyot said he supported his old boss.
He continued to praise Hegseth in his op-ed. “I value his friendship and am grateful for his giving me the opportunity to serve,” Ullyot wrote.
“Yet even strong backers of the secretary like me must admit: The last month has been a full-blown meltdown at the Pentagon — and it’s becoming a real problem for the administration,” he added.
A ‘Month From Hell’
Ullyot’s criticism comes after his tenure leading Defense Department public affairs at the start of the Trump administration. He oversaw the Pentagon’s mandate to remove DEI images and its reassignment of its media office spaces, booting outlets such as The New York Times and NBC in favor of right-leaning outlets like Breitbart.
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However, in February, Ullyot’s role as chief spokesperson was taken over by Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s current press secretary. Ullyot eventually resigned on Wednesday, saying he told Hegseth when he was hired that he “was not interested in being number two to anyone in public affairs.”
In his op-ed days later, he described the Pentagon’s recent struggles as a “Month from Hell” that began with Signalgate — The Atlantic’s bombshell report in March that its chief editor was mistakenly added to a Signal group discussing US strikes.
Ullyot wrote that Hegseth’s initial response was a disaster.
“Nobody was texting war plans, and that’s all I have to say about that,” Hegseth had told reporters. The Atlantic followed up by publishing details of F/A-18 strikes Hegseth sent to the chat.
“This was a violation of PR rule number one — get the bad news out right away,” Ullyot wrote of Hegseth’s comment to the press.
Other, separate reports soon piled on top of Signalgate, and Ullyot wrote that it’s likely more will continue to emerge.
“Unfortunately, after a terrible month, the Pentagon focus is no longer on warfighting, but on endless drama,” Ullyot wrote.
These included reports that Hegseth had brought his wife to sensitive meetings with foreign counterparts and that the Pentagon was set to give Elon Musk a top-secret briefing. Three of Hegseth’s top aides were also reportedly fired this week amid an investigation into leaks, while the secretary’s chief of staff has resigned.
On Sunday, The New York Times reported on a second Signal chat, created by Hegseth, that included his wife and brother. The Times reported that Hegseth had sent them the same details of US strikes.
ALEX WROBLEWSKI/AFP via Getty Images
In a statement to Business Insider, Parnell, the Pentagon’s current spokesperson, called the report “garbage” and praised Hegseth’s office as becoming more efficient. “There was no classified information in any Signal chat, no matter how many ways they try to write the story,” he said
Still, Ullyot wrote that all of these crises combined mean Hegseth would likely lose his job.
“In short, the building is in disarray under Hegseth’s leadership,” Ullyot wrote.
He wrote that Trump had previously dismissed other Cabinet members whom Ullyot respected, including Jim Mattis, Rex Tillerson, and Mark Esper.
The former Pentagon spokesperson ended his opinion piece by suggesting that a similar firing of Hegseth would benefit Trump.
“The president deserves better than the current mishegoss at the Pentagon,” he wrote. “Given his record of holding prior Cabinet leaders accountable, many in the secretary’s own inner circle will applaud quietly if Trump chooses to do the same in short order at the top of the Defense Department.”
Ullyot and the White House did not respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours by BI. The Pentagon similarly did not respond to questions about Ullyot’s op-ed as of press time.
