Trump May Replace Hegseth, Raising China Military Questions
Crhk · 2 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Reports citing informed sources say US President Donald Trump is increasingly dissatisfied with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and may consider removing him amid frustration over the stalled Iran conflict and a wave of negative coverage surrounding the Pentagon. The reported possibility has drawn attention because some observers worry a change at the top of the US Defense Department could affect military ties between Washington and Beijing, which have recently been recovering.
Key Points
- The South China Morning Post, cited by Commercial Radio Hong Kong, said Trump has been losing patience with Hegseth over the Iran war stalemate and extensive negative Pentagon reporting
- on.cc reported on Tuesday the 18th that sources said Trump was angered by the lack of any substantive breakthrough in the Iran war
- One source said Hegseth was “about to lose his job”, while another account said the chances of his dismissal were rising steadily.
- on.cc said concern was also growing over the welfare of crew aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which had not made a port call for more than 260 days while supporting operations in the Middle East
- Sources familiar with US-China military exchanges said the two sides have maintained contact at almost all levels since Trump returned to the White House, reaching their best level in more than a decade.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong and regional readers, the immediate issue is whether a Pentagon leadership change would disrupt the recent normalization of US-China military communication, which affects wider Asia-Pacific security expectations. One source cited by Commercial Radio argued any impact on military exchanges could be limited because Hegseth already holds a hard line on China and much of the policy work is handled by Under Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby