It is unclear who will take over at the Pentagon and the military services when the top leaders all step down Monday as President-elect Donald Trump is sworn into office. As of Friday, officials said they had not yet heard who will become the acting defense secretary.

Trump and Musk, tapped to run a new Department of Government Efficiency, have floated a variety of ideas to reform Pentagon purchasing, such as ditching the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in favor of drones.

Pete Hegseth could hardly be more suited to be Donald Trump’s secretary of Defense — even though he’d surely be deemed unqualified by any conventional president.

Pete Hegseth, Trump's pick to lead DoD, said troops will get back what "they lost because they were forced out due to an experimental vaccine."

Troy Meink's specialization in space could upend the priorities of a service typically dominated by Air Force interests.

The CEO of one of the world's biggest defense contractors, L3Harris Technologies, told President-elect Donald Trump's government efficiency panel in a letter on Wednesday that the Pentagon's huge contracting system is too slow and bureaucratic to meet threats posed by China and Iran and needs to be reformed.

Democrats repeatedly called Pete Hegseth unfit to be secretary of defense, but Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee expressed nothing but support for his candidacy at a confirmation hearing.

Pete Hegseth vows to bring “warrior culture’” to the military if confirmed as President-elect Donald Trump’s defense secretary pick.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump is poised to seize greater control of the federal government than any modern president before him when he takes office on Monday, charging ahead with plans to dismantle what he and his allies call the "deep state," according to two sources familiar with transition discussions.

All of that could soon fall on the shoulders of Pete Hegseth. The 44-year-old combat veteran and former TV cable news host is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon.

Donald Trump's pick for Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, is facing stiff criticism from Democrats—but most Republicans back him.

In Washington, Democrats and Republicans alike have supported the Pentagon’s recent work around Asia, but the return of Donald Trump, a president less personally committed to U.S. allies, will test its endurance. “The common theme I hear with regard to ...