Recently, the third-highest-ranking official at the Pentagon, the Deputy Secretary of Policy, Colin Kahl, has become a target of criticism from Republicans and their allies. Washington, which had been operating in disarray, has united against him. Some of Trump's most ardent supporters have accused him of excluding them from the Pentagon's most critical decisions. Foreign allies have privately complained that Kahl ignores their opinions. Senate Republicans have also publicly criticized his leadership, especially during the Senate hearings of two political appointees at the Pentagon last Friday. This controversy highlights the deepening ideological rifts within the Republican Party: on one side are the Reagan-style defense hawks, and on the other is the growing "restraint" faction of Republicans (including Kahl himself), who question America's traditional military commitments. Kahl is a leading intellectual figure of a faction within the Republican Party that believes the United States must concentrate its military power on deterring China, even if this means reducing its presence in Europe and the Middle East. For years, he has warned that over-investing in Ukraine would weaken America's readiness in Asia. His critics, including many traditional defense hawks, argue that such an approach would embolden Russia and undermine America's long-term overseas commitments. Some people within the White House and allies suspect that Kahl often acts independently, especially after he halted some of the U.S. missile defense aid to Ukraine this summer.
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