(Adnkronos) – The Pentagon has reportedly hired several military veterans with a large social media following and conservative views for civilian roles, without making their positions public. These individuals have supported and defended the political and cultural battles of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in recent months. This is reported by the Washington Post, citing informed sources and Department of Defense documents, according to which these figures include retired Colonels Rob Maness and Kurt Schlichter, both assigned to the office of Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Anthony Tata. Another retired colonel and influencer, Thomas Anderson, known online as Cynical Publius, was assigned to the same office earlier this year.
According to the newspaper, the three were classified as “special government employees” or “highly qualified experts,” formulas that also allow for temporary or part-time assignments. It is unclear whether they are compensated or when they began working for the Pentagon. Maness, Schlichter, and Anderson participated in May in the work of the Senior Service College Task Force at the Army War College in Pennsylvania, as part of an initiative by Hegseth to identify ideologies considered “toxic” or “woke” in military colleges.
The case has also raised questions because the three continued to speak publicly in support of the administration without disclosing their ties to the Pentagon. Maness defended Hegseth’s policies in several speeches, while Schlichter, who has almost 620,000 followers on X, praised the Defense Secretary and supported the war against Iran. Former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger accused the Pentagon of using “your tax money to hire influencers on X and spread partisan arguments.”
