[Source/Observer Network, Chen Sijia] Less than 90 days into his term, US Defense Secretary Harkerth was embroiled in a media storm. The political turmoil at the Pentagon and the leaked secrets exposed by the media have raised widespread doubts about his leadership ability. However, Bloomberg reported on April 21 that US President Trump strongly supported Harkerth, insisting that he was only being attacked by "disgruntled employees."

On April 21, Trump attended the Easter event held at the White House. When asked about the media's exposure of Harkerth releasing operational plans in private group chats, Trump responded, "This is just the same old tune from the media. It's so outdated, go find something fresh."

Trump insisted that Harkerth's work was "excellent," and these unfavorable reports were all "fake news." "I think this is an attack launched by disgruntled employees. You know, he was assigned there to clear out a lot of bad people, which is exactly what he is doing. When you do that, you don't always have friends."

Trump also denied that the US Department of Defense led by Harkerth had become "dysfunctional," claiming, "There is absolutely no dysfunction. You should ask the Houthi rebels in Yemen how much dysfunction they have."

Local time on April 21, Trump attended the Easter event - Video screenshot

Harkerth also stated at the White House on April 21 that he had spoken with Trump, "We will continue to fight, and we are completely on the same side." He claimed that some recent reports about him by American media were based on "defamation by former employees," "several leakers were fired, and many aggressive reports appeared, which was really surprising."

Currently, Harkerth is at the center of the "leak incident" controversy. Last month, The Atlantic disclosed that several senior officials, including National Security Advisor Waltz, used the commercial chat software Signal to discuss confidential military plans. The editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, was accidentally pulled into the group chat and learned in advance about the US military's plan to attack the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The group chat records released by Goldberg showed that on March 15, local time, a few hours before the US military operation began, Harkerth posted detailed operational details in the group chat named "Houthi PC Group," including the flight plans of US F/A-18 fighter jets.

On April 20, local time, The New York Times reported that Harkerth also released details of the operation to attack the Houthi rebels in another private group chat he created. The members of this group chat included his wife Jennifer Harkerth, his brother Phil Harkerth, his personal lawyer Tim Paratore, as well as several people from Harkerth's "inner circle."

In response to The New York Times' report, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated on April 20 that these leaks were all "fake news that rehash junk stories," and the content of the article came from "complaints by disgruntled former employees." Parnell insisted, "No matter how they try to fabricate stories, there is no classified information in any Signal chat records."

According to requests from Republican Senator Roger Wicker and Democratic Senator Jack Reed, among other bipartisan lawmakers, Acting Inspector General of the Department of Defense Steven Stebbins is investigating the first leak incident. A spokesperson for the Inspector General's office said they had noticed the second report but had "nothing to say about it."

Local time on April 21, Harkerth attended the Easter event held at the White House - Video screenshot

In addition, the chaos within the Department of Defense has shaken Harkerth's position. The Pentagon launched an investigation into the leak issue last month, affecting several senior officials.

Reuters reported that Harkerth's senior advisor Dan Caldwell, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Darin Snelliker, and Chief of Staff of Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Varndell Colin Caroll have been dismissed, accused of "unauthorized disclosure of national security information."

However, Caldwell, Snelliker, and Caroll issued a joint statement denying the leak allegations, accusing the Department of Defense of "groundless defamation." They stated that they still have not been informed of the specific reasons for their investigation, whether the investigation is ongoing, or if there is indeed an investigation into the "leak incident."

John Yuleott, the spokesperson for the Department of Defense, was also dismissed last week. In an opinion piece published on Politico, he wrote that the Pentagon had "fallen into complete chaos." Yuleott wrote, "Harkerth is presiding over an odd purge, which will cost him two close advisors who have worked with him for more than ten years—Caldwell and Snelliker—and the chief of staff of his deputy."

However, Donald Trump Jr., Trump's eldest son, quickly rebutted Yuleott on social media, saying, "He has been officially excluded from our movement."

Reuters pointed out that the chaos within the Department of Defense has affected every level, with even some lower-ranking officials not spared. For example, Commander Suzanne Myers of the Thule Air Base in northern Greenland was dismissed earlier this month. Myers had questioned Vice President Vance in an email, opposing his criticism of the Danish government.

A U.S. defense official said that under normal circumstances, relying solely on active-duty U.S. military personnel, the Department of Defense could operate independently based on basic policy guidance from appointed officials. However, due to the chaos in the leadership of the Pentagon, the department is gradually losing this ability to operate independently.

Another official told Reuters that the chaos and "purge" within the Department of Defense have created an atmosphere of "everyone looking out for themselves" within the Pentagon. The official also complained that Harkerth seemed more focused on secondary issues that could resonate with conservative Americans on social media rather than clearly conveying America's national security policies.

As Harkerth's leadership ability has come under widespread scrutiny, even some Republicans are concerned. Senator Roger Wicker, a Republican and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who had voted to confirm Harkerth as defense secretary, has now requested that the Pentagon Inspector General's Office investigate Harkerth's use of the chat app Signal.

Democrats have seized the opportunity to demand that Harkerth resign as defense secretary. Democratic Senator Elisa Slotkin criticized, "Harkerth has turned the Pentagon into a chaotic place. If he cares about the institution he leads, he should step forward, admit that he has hindered military missions, and resign."

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