Pentagon Panic or Purge? Chaos Under Hegseth Points to Shadow War Within the Deep State

In a stunning twist that sounds more like a scene from a political thriller than a routine Washington power shuffle, the Pentagon is reportedly in full-blown “disarray” under newly installed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. But sources inside and around the Department of Defense whisper of something far more sinister — and far more secret — than your typical bureaucratic shake-up.

Former top Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot, who resigned abruptly last week, ignited controversy over the weekend when he claimed the Department is experiencing “a month of total chaos.” In an op-ed published in Politico Magazine, Ullyot accused the Hegseth-led Pentagon of leaks, mass firings, and a campaign of anonymous smears.

On the surface, it looks like an administration in turmoil.

But beneath the headlines, Conspiracy Theory Daily has uncovered emerging threads of a covert internal war — not just between rival bureaucrats, but between two shadow governments locked in a silent conflict for control of U.S. military power.

According to a senior anonymous source who once worked at Fort Meade and now runs a falcon sanctuary in Virginia, the recent purges aren’t about security breaches or disloyalty — they’re about possession of a classified program known only as “Project Sentinel.”

“Project Sentinel has been active since 2004,” the source claims. “It involves predictive AI, deep surveillance, and a set of continuity-of-government protocols that could override the chain of command in the event of a national emergency. The problem? No one knows who actually has the access codes anymore.”

Enter Hegseth — a media-savvy Trump loyalist and former Army officer who now finds himself overseeing the most powerful military force on the planet while his inner circle is rapidly dissolving.

Three of his closest aides — Dan Caldwell, Colin Carroll, and Darin Selnick — were fired last week after an internal probe into leaks. But all three insist they were scapegoated for refusing to go along with a covert “transfer of control.” In a now-deleted social media statement, they wrote: “We were removed not for what we leaked, but for what we wouldn’t say.”

Hegseth, for his part, has not commented on “Project Sentinel,” nor on rumors that his office was swept for listening devices last Thursday — a sweep reportedly triggered by a mysterious power outage on the Pentagon’s E-Ring and a 45-second blue screen that appeared on classified terminals.

Ullyot’s op-ed offers more intrigue than answers. He warns that Hegseth has “lost control” and that more firings are coming. But to insiders tracking the pattern of dismissals, this looks less like a failure of leadership — and more like a targeted recalibration of loyalties.

“Some of these people were around during the Obama years,” says defense analyst Rae Kauffman, who’s long been monitoring Pentagon personnel charts. “Their backgrounds intersect with programs that were black-budget even then. The question is, who are they really working for? And what is Hegseth trying to prevent from falling into the wrong hands?”

Theories are swirling online — from an upcoming martial law test drill to a deliberate disabling of the Pentagon’s civilian oversight protocols. Others suggest Hegseth may be attempting to “lock down” the Pentagon in anticipation of a major geopolitical event not yet disclosed to the public.

One thing is clear: something strange is happening inside the most secure building on Earth.

Whether it’s just another chapter in the ever-chaotic Trump administration, or the start of a broader internal realignment, remains to be seen.

In the meantime, keep your eye on the firings, watch for the resignations, and remember: when Washington says it’s about “leaks,” it’s usually about secrets.