The White House has reviewed candidates to replace Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, according to three people familiar with the discussions. The effort was under way in June and included conversations with senior Senate lawmakers about whether potential replacements would have enough support for confirmation. As of late August, the review remained ongoing.
The three sources said no decision had been made to remove Feinberg from his post. They did not specify which candidates were being considered or explain the reason for the review. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement that Feinberg "isn't going anywhere" and has his full support.
The Pentagon denied it was pursuing a process to replace Feinberg and did not provide comment from Feinberg himself. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said "these so-called anonymous 'sources' have no idea what they are talking about."
Feinberg's potential departure would mark the most senior staff change in a department already experiencing high turnover under Hegseth. US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned this week following months of tension with Hegseth. US Navy Secretary John Phelan and several senior Army leaders have also departed in recent months.
Feinberg, a billionaire co-founder of private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, vowed to accelerate US munitions production. Analysts said the US industrial base cannot ramp up quickly, while some defense industry executives attributed delays to Congress's slow pace in appropriating funds despite administration pressure.
Feinberg has also faced scrutiny on Capitol Hill, where Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren raised concerns about whether his former firm Cerberus could benefit from Pentagon spending on its Golden Dome missile defense program. The Pentagon said Feinberg has completely divested from Cerberus and recused himself from conversations or business relationships between the Executive Branch and the company.
