US Department of War faces scrutiny ⁰

The US Department of War is facing mounting scrutiny over the growing presence of military influencers inside the department, a report says.

According to Monday reporting by The Washington Post, the department has “secretly” installed several conservative military veterans with large social-media followings in government roles without disclosing their assignments.

Among those identified are retired Air Force Col. Rob Maness and retired Army Col. Kurt Schlichter, who department records show had active official government email addresses during the past week and were assigned to the office of Anthony Tata, undersecretary for personnel and readiness. Their addresses carried a “.civ” suffix, indicating civilian employment.

A third retired Army colonel and online commentator, Thomas Anderson, was also previously listed with a “.civ” address in Tata’s office, according to people familiar with the matter and records reviewed by The Post. Anderson, who writes under the name Cynical Publius, has more than 323,000 followers on X.

Spokesman Joel Valdez declined to tell the paper whether the three were receiving taxpayer-funded salaries, what their roles were or how long their assignments would last.

The people familiar with the matter said the individuals were assigned either as “special government employees” or “highly qualified experts.” Schlichter appears in a government database with an “HQE” designation.

The appointments have drawn attention because of the men’s public political commentary.

Maness has more than 135,000 followers on X and has publicly supported Pete Hegseth’s agenda, including by arguing that the secretary of war’s team should remove “disloyal” career employees. This is while dismissal over the past months of several department of war officials by Hegseth following reported disagreement over the United States’ unsuccessful campaign of military aggression against Iran has attracted far-and-wide criticism.

Schlichter, who has nearly 620,000 X followers, has likewise dismissed the abortive nature of the aggression, describing President Donald Trump on August 6 as a “hero for finally fighting back against Iran.” On August 14, he wrote of Hegseth, “We are lucky to have @PeteHegseth.”

The three also appeared on behalf of the department’s Senior Service College Task Force at the Army War College in May. The task force was established to examine ideology considered “toxic” or “woke” at senior service colleges.

Separately, The Post reported that senior commanders have warned Hegseth that prolonging aggression against Iran could weaken US capabilities elsewhere.

A classified assessment in the August 14 Secretary of War Orders Book reportedly found that forces diverted to the aggression were limiting other missions and training. Several commanders issued a “non-concur” over extended deployments.

Navy Chief Adm. Daryl Caudle told Hegseth that the Navy could not sustain its present level of support because there was no anticipated end date. Barely one-fourth of the Navy’s destroyer fleet was ready to deploy, according to people familiar with the assessment.

European and Southern commands also warned that diverted ships and surveillance aircraft had degraded their homeland-defense capabilities, while Pacific Command objected to the level of support it was ordered to provide.

The aggression, which has prompted uncompromising Iranian retaliation, has also consumed Patriot and THAAD interceptors, Tomahawk missiles, and Reaper drones. Many Air Force units are also expected to remain in the West Asia region into 2027 amid continued lack of an exit strategy on the part of Washington.

Hegseth’s spokesman Sean Parnell, meanwhile, appeared dismissive by saying the department does not discuss specific internal risk assessments or “non-concurrences.”