White House reviews candidates to replace Hegseth deputy Feinberg, sources say

The White House has reviewed possible replacements for Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, according to three people familiar with the discussions, raising the prospect of another senior departure from a Pentagon already marked by unusually high staff turnover.

The effort was under way in June and included conversations with senior Senate lawmakers about whether potential administration picks would have enough support for confirmation, two of the people said. One said the review remained active in late August. Reuters could not determine when the White House began considering replacements.

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These so-called anonymous ‘sources’ have no idea what they are talking about.

The sources said no decision had been made to remove Feinberg and did not identify the candidates or explain why the White House was considering alternatives. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly dismissed the account. “These so-called anonymous ‘sources’ have no idea what they are talking about,” she said.

Kelly said President Donald Trump appreciated the work of Hegseth, Feinberg and the entire Department of War, citing the administration’s record in Operation Epic Fury, Operation Absolute Resolve and Operation Midnight Hammer, which she described as military operations in Iran and Venezuela. The Pentagon also denied that it was pursuing a process to replace Feinberg.

Hegseth told Reuters that Feinberg has his full support and “isn’t going anywhere.” In a separate statement, he said Feinberg had worked tirelessly to rebuild the defense industrial base and ensure that the military had what it needed to win. The Pentagon did not provide a comment from Feinberg or make him available for an interview.

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isn’t going anywhere.

Feinberg’s departure would represent the department’s most senior staff change under Hegseth. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned this week after months of tension with Hegseth, according to a source familiar with the matter. Navy Secretary John Phelan and several senior Army leaders have also left in recent months.

Feinberg, a billionaire co-founder of private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, had pledged to accelerate U.S. munitions production. Analysts say the industrial base cannot expand quickly, while defense executives say congressional delays in appropriating funds have complicated the effort. A description accompanying the report said The Washington Post had reported that Hegseth blamed Feinberg for declining stockpiles of long-range guided missiles and air-defense interceptors.

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has worked tirelessly to rebuild our Defense Industrial Base and ensure our military has everything it needs to win, and I look forward to continuing to work with him.