Pentagon covertly puts conservative military influencers into US government positions - report

Jerusalem Post/World NewsThe records further showed that several of the retired officers are employed in the office of Defense Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness Anthony Tata.Follow us on GoogleIn an aerial view, the Pentagon, headquarters for the United States Defense Department is seen on August 13, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia.(photo credit: Kevin Carter/Getty Images)AUGUST 31, 2026 16:35Updated: AUGUST 31, 2026 16:36Senior US military influencers were discreetly placed in government positions as part of a covert Pentagon operation, The Washington Post reported on Monday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter and corroborating material.According to the report, the influencers in question have worked to push against criticism of the Trump administration while advancing the positions of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, being assigned as “special government employees (SGE)” or “highly qualified experts (HQE)."The report noted that HQEs are permitted to work either part-time or full-time with no compensation limitations, whereas SGEs may work up to 130 days per year.The sources, which named two of the influencers as US Air Force Col. (ret.) Rob Maness and US Army Col. (ret.) Kurt Schlichter, told the Washington Post that several of the veterans are in positions powerful enough to potentially influence policy changes. Both Maness and Schlichter, as well as US Army Col. (ret.) Thomas Anderson, have active government email addresses with a ".civ" suffix, indicating they are civilian rather than military employees, according to Pentagon records reviewed by the Washington Post.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during an event to honor Marines who were serving during the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing at the Pentagon on August 26, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia. (credit: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)Retired US military officers with thousands of online followersIn terms of online influence, Schlichter has over 620,000 followers on X/Twitter; Maness has over 135,000; and Anderson, now an attorney, retains over 323,000 under the pen name Cynical Publius, the report noted.The records further showed that the retired officers, who served for several decades prior to their online presence, are employed in the office of Defense Under Secretary for Personnel and Readiness Anthony Tata.According to the Washington Post, Tata's office has been tasked with tackling several issues central to conservative politics, including "woke" college ideology and COVID vaccine policies for American soldiers under former US president Joe Biden.Anderson and Pentagon spokesperson Joel Valdez declined to comment to the Washington Post, while Maness and Schlichter did not respond to requests for comment.Follow us on Google