When Pete Hegseth took the reins at the Pentagon last year, it quickly became apparent that his patience for Ukraine’s struggle against Russia was wearing thin. According to a report in The New York Times, the newly appointed Secretary of Defense—later rechristened as the War Secretary—seemed to harbor a particular disdain for the remaining pro-Ukraine generals from President Joe Biden’s administration. One figure who bore the brunt of this tension was General Christopher Cavoli. Cavoli, who recently retired, had served as the commander of United States European Command from 2022 until he stepped down from the Army in July 2025. Sources remain uncertain whether Hegseth’s annoyance was directed at Ukraine itself or specifically at Cavoli.
Under Hegseth’s directive, Cavoli was instructed to cut back his daily briefings to a weekly basis and, on two occasions, to condense them to a mere ‘four or five sentences.’ Previously, under the leadership of Biden’s Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Cavoli had provided comprehensive daily updates, excluding Sundays, and maintained regular communication with Austin about the ongoing conflict. Requests for comments from the Department of War regarding Hegseth’s preference for shorter briefings or his apparent irritation with Cavoli went unanswered.
Hegseth assumed his role on January 25, 2025, following a narrowly secured Senate confirmation. By the second week of February, he was already on a diplomatic mission to Europe, aligning with President Donald Trump’s pledge to swiftly resolve the Russia-Ukraine war upon returning to office. However, the relationship between Hegseth and Cavoli was rocky from the start, contrasting sharply with the camaraderie Cavoli had enjoyed with his predecessor. As reported by the Times, Hegseth—previously a Fox News host—displayed clear animosity towards Cavoli, though the specific reasons remained elusive to his aides.
At their first and only meeting in Stuttgart, Germany on February 11, 2025, Cavoli told Hegseth the US needed to maintain support for Ukraine. ‘If we stop doing this, it’s going to veer to the wrong side,’ then-General Cavoli insisted. An official said this meeting ‘was when Hegseth began to associate General Cavoli with the Ukraine fight.’
‘He started hating them both. And I don’t know who he hated first,’ the official said of Ukraine and General Cavoli. Aides also suggested Hegseth’s annoyance could have stemmed from protesters who gathered during his Europe trip condemning the Pentagon’s crackdown on transgender soldiers. They also attribute jet lag to his irritation, according to the NYT article.
