Hegseth Reforms Prompt Pentagon Doubts Over Trust and Readiness

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s changes to Pentagon policies have drawn internal questions about effects on military cohesion and sexual assault response. The adjustments include accelerated reviews of equal opportunity programs, limits on academic writing by officers, and expanded use of polygraph examinations after reports on munitions shortages. Senior officers have expressed concerns through anonymous channels that these steps have shifted focus from operational priorities.

The Department of Defense reported in an August 2026 press release that an estimated 20,492 service members experienced unwanted sexual contact in fiscal year 2025, down from prior levels, while reporting rates rose from 25 percent to 33 percent. Under Secretary of War for Personnel and Readiness Anthony J. Tata stated that sexual assault undermines trust and mission readiness. Two veterans who described past assaults said recent policy shifts have revived distress and prompted one to discourage women from enlisting.

Hegseth’s office has conducted polygraph tests on roughly 50 Joint Staff officers and civilians in connection with disclosures about munitions supplies during operations involving Iran. Department rules bar adverse action for refusal in unauthorized disclosure cases and require prior interviews plus exhaustion of less intrusive methods. No test failures were reported. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine did not undergo the examinations, according to separate reporting.

Hegseth blocked dozens of promotions for women and minorities earlier this year and removed some female candidates from lists, resulting in no active-duty female Navy officers promoted to one-star admiral for the first time in more than a decade. A March Department of Veterans Affairs report found one in three women and one in 40 men screened positive for military sexual trauma. Survivors have advocated ending restricted reporting options and passing the Military Sexual Trauma Accountability Act to permit civil suits.

Current and former officers told The New York Times that personnel decisions and leak inquiries have created a climate of mistrust, pulling leaders from core tasks amid extended deployments and supply strains. A Pentagon spokesman pointed to the fiscal year 2025 sexual assault report as evidence of continued commitment to standards and force readiness.