Chaos erupted on Capitol Hill as the Senate Armed Services Committee tore into the Pentagon's veil of secrecy during a nomination hearing for Austin Dahmer, President Trump's pick for assistant secretary for strategy, plans, and forces.
The Daily Mail reported that the hearing quickly devolved into a bipartisan roasting of the Department of War, with lawmakers from both sides decrying a lack of transparency, haphazard decision-making, and a stubborn refusal to coordinate with Congress, the White House, or even foreign allies.
From the opening gavel, frustration was palpable as senators grilled Dahmer on why the Pentagon seems to operate in a bubble, ignoring the very people tasked with oversight.
Committee Chairman Roger Wicker set the tone, pointing out that his staff couldn’t even get a straight answer on critical documents like the National Defense Strategy. It’s almost as if the department thinks “classified” means “don’t bother asking.”
Democrats and Republicans alike voiced exasperation over what they called a growing culture of secrecy at the Department of War.
They accused the policy arm of reflecting deeper dysfunction under new leadership, which now mandates all congressional communication be funneled through legislative affairs. Sounds like a recipe for a game of telephone, doesn’t it?
Specific grievances piled up faster than unread memos on a bureaucrat’s desk. Lawmakers cited being left in the dark on major moves like a review of the AUKUS submarine deal, a pause in military aid to Ukraine, and troop withdrawals that seemed to come out of nowhere.
Chairman Wicker zeroed in on the sudden cancellation of an Army brigade’s deployment to Romania, noting it appeared to clash with President Trump’s commitment to maintaining a strong U.S. presence in Europe.
“Just two weeks ago, the president had said that troops would not be withdrawn from Europe,” Wicker said. One wonders if the Pentagon even checks the commander-in-chief’s memos before hitting “delete.”
Austin Dahmer, already working under Hegseth at the Pentagon despite not being confirmed, faced a barrage of questions but offered little in the way of answers. He deflected criticism by blaming “false reporting” and “fake news” for the confusion, a tactic that likely didn’t win him any friends on the committee.
When pressed on briefings about European troop decisions, Dahmer insisted the committee had been informed three times—a claim lawmakers flatly disputed. If those briefings happened, they must have been delivered via carrier pigeon with a broken wing.
The nominee’s evasiveness didn’t go unnoticed, with senators growing visibly irritated at the lack of clarity. This isn’t just a paperwork snafu; it’s a trust issue when the folks responsible for national defense can’t—or won’t—level with those who fund and oversee them.
Perhaps most troubling to those of us who value strong leadership is the apparent disconnect between Pentagon actions and President Trump’s directives.
Wicker didn’t mince words, stating, “At times, Pentagon officials have pursued policies that are not in accord with President Trump’s orders.” When the bureaucracy plays its own tune, it’s the American people who lose the harmony of a unified defense strategy.
Senator Dan Sullivan, clearly fed up, summed up the room’s mood with a sharp quip: “Man, I can’t even get a response. And we’re on your team!” If allies in Congress feel stonewalled, imagine how our adversaries must be chuckling at the disarray.
The laundry list of uncommunicated decisions—from troop pullbacks to aid pauses—raises serious questions about who’s actually steering the ship at the Department of War. Lawmakers argued these moves don’t just undermine policy; they erode confidence in our ability to project strength abroad.
For its part, the Pentagon, through Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson, offered the standard boilerplate about valuing its relationship with Congress and striving to be “responsive” and “transparent.” That’s a nice sentiment, but actions speak louder than press releases, and right now, the silence from the policy shop is deafening.
