Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is once again in hot water—this time for going rogue on a major defense decision that caught the White House, Congress, and U.S. allies completely off guard.
Last week, Hegseth paused U.S. weapons shipments to Ukraine without telling the White House. According to five sources familiar with the situation, the move left top officials scrambling to understand what happened—and how to explain it.
President Trump made it clear he had no idea the pause was coming. When asked during a Cabinet meeting whether he approved it, Trump responded, “I don’t know, why don’t you tell me?”
Even top national security officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. envoy to Ukraine Gen. Keith Kellogg, found out from the press. One senior administration official admitted they had no warning either.
The pause, which lasted several days, was reversed Monday night—only after Trump himself stepped in and ordered some of the weapons to be released, including Patriot interceptor missiles critical to protecting Ukrainian civilians from Russian attacks.
This wasn’t the first time Hegseth made a sudden decision to stop Ukraine aid. He did the same thing in February. That pause was also quickly reversed. But this latest misstep has raised serious questions about how decisions are being made inside the Pentagon.
Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson tried to clean up the mess, claiming Hegseth was just offering a “framework” for Trump to assess weapons needs. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the President “has full confidence in the Secretary of Defense”—a line that raised eyebrows given how clearly Trump distanced himself from the call.
So why did Hegseth act alone?
Two sources say it’s because he has no chief of staff or close advisers—no one to rein him in or advise him to coordinate with others before making a major policy move.
Instead, Hegseth was influenced by Undersecretary of Defense Elbridge Colby, who has long opposed heavy U.S. support for Ukraine. Colby has publicly argued, “A Europe first policy is not what America needs in this exceptionally dangerous time.”
Colby’s recommendation to pause aid moved up the chain to Deputy Secretary Steve Feinberg, who supported the idea due to concerns about U.S. weapons stockpiles. Hegseth signed off, apparently believing it would line up with Trump’s “America First” agenda.
But Trump wasn’t buying it.
After finding out about the pause, Trump ordered the shipments—at least some of them—to go forward. In a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump reportedly downplayed his role in the decision.
At a White House event on Tuesday, Trump doubled down on support for Ukraine’s ability to defend itself: “The Ukrainians… they were very brave, because somebody had to operate that stuff. And a lot of people I know wouldn’t be operating it.”
He also took a clear shot at Vladimir Putin: “We get a lot of bulls**t thrown at us by Putin… it’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”
According to a European official, Trump’s frustration with Putin was obvious during the recent NATO summit. That official also confirmed the pause “genuinely did not originate” with the President.
So what sparked the pause?
Trump had asked Hegseth for a review of U.S. weapons stockpiles last month, worried about rising tensions in the Middle East. But three sources say Trump never told Hegseth to halt aid to Ukraine. That call came from Colby.
Even after the White House learned about the pause, officials tried to provide some “cover” for the Pentagon—but told them they’d have to explain the move to Congress themselves.
The problem? Congress hadn’t been told, either.
In recent days, Pentagon officials have tried to justify the pause by citing supposed stockpile shortages. But lawmakers aren’t buying it. One congressional source put it bluntly: “There have been no new urgent requirements submitted to Congress from DoD for any of these munitions.”
“If credible evidence was presented,” the source added, “Congress would be glad to work with DoD… but instead, they took unilateral action.”
In trying to act bold, Pete Hegseth acted alone—and made a serious miscalculation. Again.
