The Pentagon has quietly brought several conservative military veterans with large social-media followings into civilian government positions, raising questions about transparency, political influence and the increasingly blurred boundary between official Defense Department work and partisan online commentary. The previously undisclosed appointments are part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s broader effort to reshape both Pentagon policy and the public debate surrounding the U.S. military.
Among those involved are retired Air Force Col. Rob Maness and retired Army Col. Kurt Schlichter, according to Pentagon records. Both had active civilian government email accounts and were assigned to the office of Anthony Tata, the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness. Another conservative commentator, retired Army Col. Thomas Anderson, who writes online as Cynical Publius, was also previously listed as a civilian employee in Tata’s office.
All three built substantial audiences after leaving military service. Maness has more than 135,000 followers on X, Schlichter nearly 620,000 and Anderson more than 323,000. They have regularly defended Hegseth and the Trump administration while criticizing journalists, career officials and others who oppose the administration’s military policies.
What has attracted scrutiny is that their government connections were generally not disclosed alongside their public commentary.
The Pentagon declined to tell what Maness and Schlichter are doing, whether they receive taxpayer-funded salaries or how long their assignments will last. People familiar with the arrangements said the individuals were appointed as either special government employees, or SGEs, or “highly qualified experts.” SGEs can generally work no more than 130 days during a 365-day period, while highly qualified experts can work full- or part-time and may serve with or without compensation.
Their work appears connected, at least partly, to some of Hegseth’s most politically sensitive initiatives.
Maness, Schlichter and Anderson participated in the Pentagon’s Senior Service College Task Force, which visited the Army War College in Pennsylvania. Hegseth created the task force to examine military educational institutions for ideology that his administration considers “toxic” or “woke.” The group has completed a report, but its findings have not yet been publicly released.
During the visit, task-force members met with students and professors and examined issues including military leadership and how officers communicate with Congress. Seemingly, some participants were uncertain about how candidly they could speak and whether criticism of administration officials might create consequences.
Anderson later publicly confirmed that he had served as a special government employee through July 26 and said his work was exclusively connected to the task force. He also said he had never received government compensation for anything he published online or in magazines.
The controversy extends beyond these three commentators.
Conservative influencer Jennica Pounds, known online as DataRepublican, recently disclosed that she became a Pentagon special government employee in July. Before that, she had received credentials as a journalist in Hegseth’s revamped Pentagon press corps. Her dual involvement intensified debate over whether people presenting themselves publicly as independent commentators should disclose government employment.
Former Republican congressman and Air Force veteran Adam Kinzinger has questioned whether taxpayer money is effectively being used to employ online personalities who promote partisan messages. The Pentagon, however, has not provided evidence that the influencers were specifically hired or paid to promote political content online, making that distinction important.
The episode fits into Hegseth’s broader transformation of Pentagon communications. His department previously imposed new restrictions on traditional Pentagon reporters, prompting numerous established news organizations to leave the building, while a new press corps containing more conservative and right-leaning outlets gained access.
Bringing outside experts into government is not inherently unusual. Special government employees and highly qualified experts have long been used to provide agencies with specialized knowledge without requiring permanent appointments. The controversy in this case centers instead on disclosure and dual roles.
The Pentagon now faces a fundamental credibility question: whether influential commentators can simultaneously participate in government policymaking and publicly advocate for the administration without clearly identifying their government connections.
As Hegseth continues reshaping military education, personnel policies and Pentagon communications, the secretive appointments are intensifying a larger debate over how far political messaging should extend inside an institution historically expected to maintain a strong separation between military service and partisan politics.
