Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s tumultuous tenure at the Pentagon has become a lightning rod for controversy, innovation, and high-stakes decision-making, as the U.S. military faces a rapidly evolving global threat landscape. On August 20, 2025, Hegseth called for the United States to establish “drone dominance,” a move that could fundamentally reshape the nature of warfare and America’s place on the world stage. But as the secretary pushes for technological supremacy, his leadership is also marked by internal strife, strained resources, and mounting scrutiny over his personal conduct and policy priorities.
“Drones are the biggest battlefield innovation in a generation,” Hegseth declared in a recent memo, as reported by multiple outlets. He sharply criticized the previous administration’s “red tape” for leaving U.S. units without the lethal small drones now essential to modern combat. The urgency of Hegseth’s call is underscored by recent events in Ukraine, where Russia launched a staggering 273 drones in a single attack earlier this year. Ukrainian forces managed to intercept only 88, highlighting how inexpensive, mass-produced drones are eclipsing traditional missiles in both scale and lethality.
According to Britain’s 2025 Strategic Defence Review, drones now kill more people than conventional weapons in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The review, cited in international coverage, notes that “any conflict with a peer opponent… would likely see the U.K. and its allies confronting a military force capable of fielding newer weapons such as drones.” The battlefield itself has shifted, with Russian and Ukrainian units now engaging from distances up to 30 miles apart. “Human soldiers are currently absent from the front lines in Ukraine,” a South Korean defense specialist told reporters. “Only drones and robots are engaged in combat there.”
The versatility of drones is changing tactics in surprising ways. Ukrainian forces have used drones not just for attack, but to guide Russian soldiers to safe locations to surrender, intercept Iranian-built “Shahed” suicide drones, and drop land mines just ahead of enemy motorized units. The adaptability and low cost of these technologies are making them the new backbone of twenty-first-century warfare.
This revolution is not limited to Eastern Europe. During recent clashes between Iran and Israel, Tehran deployed hundreds of drones, while the Israeli Defense Force used a drone to eliminate a key Hamas leader. China, meanwhile, has staked out a commanding position in the global drone market, controlling about 90 percent of commercial production. DJI, a single Chinese company, produces a staggering 70 percent of all commercial drones worldwide, as reported by the FBI in 2022. China’s dominance is further cemented by its grip over rare earth minerals essential for drone batteries.
Efforts to challenge this monopoly are emerging, particularly in Taiwan. After discovering that components for its new Rui Yuan II drone originated in China, Taiwan moved to develop an independent supply chain—a move that could provide the U.S. and its allies with much-needed alternatives. Experts say that, with enough investment, such initiatives could scale up to meet Western demand. The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology in Taiwan is already working on supply chains that bypass China entirely.
Hegseth’s memo introduces a critical bureaucratic shift: for the first time, small, low-cost drones like those used in swarms will be classified as “consumable commodities,” akin to ammunition rather than traditional aircraft. This change is expected to streamline procurement and cut through administrative obstacles that have hampered rapid deployment. Defense experts from Australia, Germany, Japan, and South Korea have praised Hegseth’s drone policy, with one calling it “Solomon’s wisdom” and suggesting it could allow the United States to “perform a technological leapfrog” in drone warfare.
Plans are also underway for a “Golden Dome” aerial defense shield, modeled after Israel’s Iron Dome. This ambitious project would feature a “drone layer” capable of deploying swarms at a moment’s notice, a development that could redefine U.S. air defense for years to come.
Yet, even as Hegseth aims to catapult the U.S. military into the future, his leadership has generated significant controversy at home. According to The Washington Post, the security requirements for Hegseth and his family are so extensive that they have placed unprecedented strain on the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID). Normally, only about 150 of CID’s 1,500 agents are assigned to VIP protection. Since Hegseth took office in January, that number has ballooned to between 400 and 500, diverting agents from criminal investigations to tasks like guarding luggage, patrolling properties, and escorting his children to school.
“I’ve never seen this many security teams for one guy,” one official told the paper. “Nobody has.” The heightened security follows a bomb threat at Hegseth’s Tennessee home shortly after his nomination by President Trump and comes amid a broader climate of threats against top officials. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell staunchly defended the measures, stating, “Any action pertaining to the security of Secretary Hegseth and his family has been in response to the threat environment and at the full recommendation of the Army Criminal Investigation Division.”
Hegseth’s time at the helm has also been marked by leadership churn and scandal. In recent months, the Air Force Chief of Staff, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the chief of naval operations, the Coast Guard commandant, and the Air Force vice chief have all been replaced. Hegseth himself has struggled to fill vacancies among his senior aides. The so-called “Signalgate” scandal in March, involving the accidental disclosure of top-secret information in a group chat, added to the turbulence.
Personal controversies continue to dog the secretary. Hegseth’s bruising confirmation hearing featured allegations of sexual assault, harassment, and drunken behavior; reports indicate he paid $50,000 to a woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2017. Bipartisan coalitions in Congress are now holding Hegseth to promises made during his confirmation to prioritize combating sexual assault in the military. The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), as reported by The American Prospect, would require the secretary of defense to establish a system for notifying military communities about registered sex offenders on bases—a first-of-its-kind military sex offender registry. The legislation also directs a report assessing whether the Department of Defense should be designated as a jurisdiction under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), potentially further integrating U.S. bases into the national registry system.
Despite these moves, the Pentagon’s ability to monitor and respond to sexual assault allegations has been hampered by budget cuts enacted in spring 2025, which delayed the hiring of hundreds of personnel. In July, the Department of Defense briefly halted the provision of rape evidence collection kits to civilian workers overseas, only to reverse the decision after congressional questioning. Advocacy from lawmakers like Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Sen. Lisa Murkowski has kept the issue in the spotlight, warning Hegseth against directives that would weaken sexual assault prevention and response services.
Hegseth’s policy agenda has also touched on culture war flashpoints, including efforts to ban gender-affirming care for service members, rescind travel reimbursements for reproductive health care, and prohibit the sale of Chinese seafood in military commissaries. In February, he moved to terminate enlistees diagnosed with gender dysphoria and rolled back Biden-era protections for reproductive health services. Meanwhile, recruitment numbers—especially among women—have rebounded, with an 18 percent increase in female enlistees in 2024.
As Congress prepares to hammer out the final details of the NDAA, the future of Hegseth’s initiatives—from drone dominance to expanded sex offender registries—hangs in the balance. Whether these changes will secure America’s military edge or further divide its leadership remains an open question, but there’s no denying that the Pentagon, under Hegseth, is at a crossroads.
