'There's No Trust or Delegation': Pete Hegseth's Pentagon Chaos Exposed After 'Paranoid' Defense Sec. Goes on Firing Spree

Pete Hegseth is believed to be keeping everything close to the chest, RadarOnline.com can reveal, leading to a cloud of suspicion and paranoia in the Pentagon.

The 45-year-old recently went on a firing spree, booting plenty of high-profile military figures, most notably, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, who lost his job in April.

According to CNN, George had requested an in-person meeting with the Secretary of Defense to ease tension between the pair. However, George reportedly never received a meeting; instead getting a pink slip one day later.

George is said to have been terminated after he reportedly refused to obey Hegseth's instruction to eliminate officers – two Black men and two women – from a list of people up for a possible promotion.

At a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, when Democrat Jack Reed asked Hegseth if President Trump had ordered him to single out Black and female officers for dismissal, Hegseth responded, "Of course not."

The firing, however, was deemed abrupt and unexpected, and according to sources, Hegseth has been distrustful of officials around him and has apparently been on the fence about their loyalty.

The former Fox News personality's firing spree has also included John Phelan, the head of the Navy, and General William Green Jr., the Chief Army Chaplain.

The firings are said to have created a harsh work environment, as it has seeped into other offices at the Pentagon, not just Hegseth's office.

"Everything we did on a daily basis, we were calculating, 'Is this going to keep the boss employed, or is this going to get him fired?'" one Pentagon official told CNN. "Every single day, every decision that we made, that was a planning factor. … It's very unusual for that to be considered so heavily."

According to sources, officials are not weary of making too much noise and drawing the attention of Hegseth.

"Sometimes leaders have to do bold things when they’re in charge, sometimes they have to put their neck out there, and the Army has been trying to promote leaders who are willing to do that," one official said. "And if anything, this has put ice on that idea."

It doesn't help that Hegseth's apparent paranoia about vital information or the happenings behind-the-scenes being leaked has led to the controversial Defense Secretary to reportedly make bold movies, including keeping key military planners out of the loop before the country attacked Iran.

The insider noted, "A year-plus later, there is a lack of clear internal processes within the Pentagon," which is "caused by mass paranoia."

"Everything is a case-by-case basis because there's no delegation, there's no trust. And if there's no delegation or trust, policy decisions can't be made," they noted.

The source also claimed Hegseth has repeatedly questioned deployed service members about leaks and has done everything in his power to keep troops from sharing information.

"They act like we are the enemy," the insider noted. In response to the report, Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell claimed there are "outsiders with a clear political agenda to smear the Department and undermine Secretary Hegseth’s leadership through partisan hit pieces."

Hegseth's tenure as Secretary of Defense has not gone smoothly, as it's featured public meltdowns, bizarre speeches, and "embarrassing" behavior during classified briefings.

"I believe that the senior leadership of the US military has been substantially damaged," Paul Eaton, a retired army major-general who commanded US forces after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, declared.