Pentagon officials are pushing spokesperson Sean Parnell for the position and launching attacks against other candidates.
09/14/2026 5:31 PM EDT
Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon allies are waging a behind-the-scenes campaign against administration officials vying for the Army Secretary job — an unprecedented effort to get the Defense secretary’s spokesperson nominated for the role.
They’re advocating for Sean Parnell — an Army combat veteran and unsuccessful Pennsylvania congressional candidate — over Army Comptroller Marc Andersen and Assistant Secretary for Special Operations Derrick Anderson, who the White House is also considering for the job, according to a defense official and an administration official.
The move would install Hegseth’s loyalists in the two most powerful Army positions. The Pentagon chief fired the service’s top uniformed leader, Gen. Randy George, in April and replaced him with Gen. Christopher LaNeve, Hegseth’s former military adviser. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned last month over concerns about the direction of the Pentagon.
“Everyone in the Pentagon knows that Secretary Hegseth’s preferred pick for secretary of the Army is Sean Parnell,” said the defense official. “The other Pentagon officials being floated in the media as potential candidates are just trying to up their public profiles so they can land big jobs when they leave the administration.”