By Sama Marwan,
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has dismissed a number of members from the Pentagon’s advisory boards responsible for defense policy and military technology, in a move that has stirred wide controversy amid rapid changes within the Department of Defense since he assumed office, according to current and former officials.
According to an internal memo issued by Hegseth, the dismissals affected the Defense Policy Board and the Defense Science Board, among other advisory bodies — as reported by the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal.
The Secretary explained in the memo that the department “needs fresh thinking to drive bold changes.”
While changes in the composition of advisory boards are common with new administrations, Hegseth carried out a sweeping dismissal of members across several boards, an unprecedented move in terms of scale and speed.
These boards have traditionally included top former officials, industry executives, academics, scientists, and engineers, providing independent, nonpartisan advice to the department for decades.
Michael O’Hanlon, a defense expert at the Brookings Institution and one of the dismissed members, said the board had never held a meeting with Hegseth or his team, adding:
“It’s unfortunate to accuse us of leaks or gossiping, because we have had zero communication with this administration.”
A Pentagon spokesperson confirmed that the boards were not abolished and that new members would be appointed later, noting that some previous members might be reappointed after individual review.
It is worth mentioning that billionaire Elon Musk, known for advocating the downsizing of the federal government, praised the move on X (formerly Twitter), calling it a “necessary reset.”
However, the move will not result in significant financial savings, as board members do not receive salaries — although their expenses are covered.
Hegseth’s decisions also included broader changes at the Pentagon: he removed the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and several senior military officers and civilian officials, and dissolved the Office of Net Assessment, an internal think tank established during President Nixon’s era.
The Defense Science Board is the oldest advisory body in the department and has provided analyses and reports on topics like artificial intelligence and the defense industrial base.
The Defense Policy Board included figures who served under Trump, Bush, Obama, and Biden administrations.
In a recent interview, a former Hegseth aide, Dan Caldwell, hinted at possible involvement of the board in leaks aimed at obstructing Trump’s agenda. However, Brookings defense expert O’Hanlon firmly denied the allegations, stating that the members had no insider information and had never been invited to meet with the current administration.
The dismissals also affected an advisory council that provides strategic policy, intelligence, and technology analyses to U.S. Strategic Command, which oversees nuclear forces.
This council contributes to an annual assessment, jointly conducted by the Departments of Defense and Energy, to evaluate the reliability and safety of the U.S. nuclear arsenal without the need for nuclear testing.
