Pentagon Erases Documents After Leak Shows Senior Officers Opposed Hegseth Orders

A newspaper disclosed that the Navy’s top admiral and heads of U.S. European, Pacific and Southern Commands entered non-concurring entries in the Secretary of Defense Orders Book to oppose Pete Hegseth’s order extending troop deployments in the Middle East amid possible operations against Iran. In response, the Defense Department scrubbed the SDOB files from the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network, a move that a former defense official warned will sharply reduce the number of personnel with direct access, possibly complicating urgent planning.

The Pentagon spokesperson neither confirmed nor denied the deletions, reiterating that internal deliberations are not publicly discussed. The document removal follows the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who reportedly warned President Donald Trump that Hegseth’s actions were causing generational damage. Under Hegseth, the Pentagon has tightened leak controls and restricted press access, including revoking credentials unless journalists sign contracts limiting information gathering.