US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is overseeing sweeping leadership changes at the Pentagon — including the removal or sidelining of dozens of generals, admirals and civilian officials — even as American forces are engaged in active military operations against Iran in the Gulf. The latest departure, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, followed clashes with Hegseth over modernisation efforts that critics say are essential to keeping the US Army competitive in 21st-century warfare, with one Republican senator calling for Hegseth's dismissal over what he termed "inept management." The upheaval comes at a precarious moment: the US military has drawn down resources from both Europe and the Pacific to sustain Gulf operations, burning through roughly a third of its Tomahawk missile stockpile and nearly two-thirds of its Patriot interceptors, while European allies warn that the resulting gaps are being exploited by Russia through stepped-up hybrid attacks on NATO members.