Pentagon Chief under fire as scandals mount

Hegseth grilled on strikes, use of Signal

- 

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth gives a speech at the Reagan National Defense Forum on Saturday, at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

(AFP)

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing intensifying scrutiny over strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats and his use of the Signal app to discuss sensitive military operations, prompting criticism and calls for his resignation.

Mr Hegseth — a former Army National Guard major who rose from Fox News co-host to head of the world’s most powerful military — has long been a controversial figure and was narrowly confirmed by the Senate earlier this year.

The fallout from US strikes on suspected narcotics traffickers — including a case in which survivors of an initial attack were later killed — together with revelations that Mr Hegseth used the commercial messaging app Signal to discuss an impending operation in Yemen, has fuelled bipartisan concern.