White House Reviewing Potential Replacements for Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg
3 sources across 3 countries · Israel · Japan · United Kingdom
Who reported this
- The Jerusalem Post
- The Japan Times
- Reuters
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
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The White House is reviewing candidates to replace US Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, according to sources cited by Reuters. The review process began in June and continued through late August, involving discussions with senior Senate lawmakers regarding the confirmability of potential picks. Sources stated that no final decision has been made to remove Feinberg from his post, and they did not specify the reasons for the review or the candidates being considered.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly denied the reports, stating that anonymous sources do not know what they are talking about. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also issued a statement saying that Feinberg has his full support and is not going anywhere. The Pentagon further denied that it is pursuing a process to replace Feinberg.
Reports from a center right outlet suggest that a potential departure would be the most senior staff change in a department already experiencing high turnover. This includes the recent resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and the departures of Navy Secretary John Phelan and other senior army leaders. Analysts cited by the center right outlet noted that Feinberg has not yet met his goal of accelerating munitions production, though some executives attribute this to slow congressional funding.
Additional reporting from a center right outlet mentions that President Trump has expressed frustration with the conflict in Iran and the resulting drawdown of weapons stockpiles. While the White House called reports of internal blame fake news, a Washington Post report cited by the center right outlet claimed that Hegseth blamed Feinberg for the shrinkage of certain missile and interceptor stockpiles during an exchange at Camp David.
How each side framed it
- Centre
- These outlets focused on the core fact of the White House review without adding extensive context on internal Pentagon tensions.
- Centre-right
- This outlet framed the event within a broader narrative of Pentagon instability, leadership turnover, and specific failures regarding munitions and the conflict in Iran.
Sources
- Centre Reuters: EXCLUSIVE: White House reviews candidates to replace Hegseth deputy Feinberg, sources say - Reuters
- Centre The Japan Times: White House reviews candidates to replace Pentagon No. 2 Steve Feinberg
- Centre-right The Jerusalem Post: White House reviews candidates to replace Hegseth deputy Feinberg, sources say
93% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.