Pentagon appointed conservative military veterans to undisclosed government positions: Report

Fatma Zehra Solmaz

The Pentagon has appointed several conservative military veterans with large online followings to government positions without publicly disclosing their roles, according to people familiar with the matter and supporting documents.

The appointees have promoted the views of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and criticized those questioning the Trump administration, The Washington Post reported on Sunday.

At least some of the influencers have been appointed to civilian positions that could potentially influence policy, according to people familiar with the matter.

Those involved include retired Air Force Col. Rob Maness and retired Army Col. Kurt Schlichter, said people familiar with the matter.

Pentagon records reviewed by the Post show that both have active government email accounts and work in the office of Anthony Tata, the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.

The “.civ” in their email addresses shows that they are classified as civilian government employees, not members of the military or contractors.

After leaving military service, both Maness and Schlichter shifted to conservative political commentary and built large audiences online.

Maness has more than 135,000 followers on US social media platform X, while Schlichter’s following is close to 620,000.

Thomas Anderson, another retired Army colonel with a large online following, was also listed in Pentagon records earlier this year as a civilian employee in Tata’s office, according to people familiar with the matter and records reviewed by The Post.

A lawyer, Anderson writes under the pseudonym Cynical Publius and has more than 323,000 followers on X. His name, however, was no longer listed in Pentagon records as of late last week, according to the sources.

The three government assignments have not been previously reported, although their possible links to the Pentagon have raised questions online.

The individuals have also publicly expressed views in line with Hegseth and the Trump administration. Maness called for the removal of “disloyal” Pentagon employees in an article last month, while Schlichter praised Trump as a “hero” for confronting Iran in a column.

Anderson has frequently criticized opponents of the Trump administration and defended Hegseth’s military reforms, writing in April that there was “a cancer in America’s military ranks” that “must be expunged.”

The individuals were appointed as either “special government employees” or “highly qualified experts,” the sources said.

Maness, Schlichter and Anderson also visited the Army War College in May as part of a Pentagon task force aimed at removing what Hegseth described as “toxic” or “woke” ideology from military education, according to two sources.