The most consequential question raised by the turmoil at the Pentagon is not whether Pete Hegseth has the authority to remove senior military officers. A civilian secretary of defence ~ or war ~ must have that authority. The question is what happens when personnel changes become a mechanism for enforcing conformity rather than implementing policy. Since assuming his position, Hegseth has removed or sidelined an extraordinary number of senior officers.

The latest departures include Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who had been closely involved in an ambitious programme to reshape the Army, Gen. Randy George, the Army’s chief of staff, and Gen. Chris Donahue, another senior commander. The cumulative effect is more important than any individual dismissal: a substantial part of the Army’s senior leadership has been disrupted while America is engaged in active conflict. There is a legitimate argument behind Hegseth’s transformation agenda. The American military has accumulated expensive legacy systems, cumbersome procurement procedures and layers of bureaucracy. Ukraine has demonstrated how quickly drones, artificial intelligence, electronic warfare and commercially available technology can alter........

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