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The Pentagon has quietly placed several conservative military veterans with large online followings in government positions, while declining to disclose their roles as they publicly amplify Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s views and criticize his opponents, according to people familiar with the matter and Pentagon records reviewed by The Washington Post.
At least three influencers — retired Air Force Col. Rob Maness, retired Army Col. Kurt Schlichter and retired Army Col. Thomas Anderson — have been assigned to the office of Anthony Tata, the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, according to the records and people familiar with the matter.
Maness and Schlichter had active government email addresses as of last week with a “.civ” designation, indicating civilian employees. Anderson had a similar designation earlier this year but was no longer listed in Pentagon records late last week.
All three are believed to be serving as either special government employees or highly qualified experts. It was not immediately clear whether they are being paid, when their assignments began or what specific duties they perform.
The Pentagon declined to answer questions about their employment, compensation or responsibilities. Maness and Schlichter did not respond to requests for comment. Anderson declined to comment.
The appointments have drawn scrutiny because none of the three publicly disclose their Pentagon roles while continuing to publish political commentary.
Maness has more than 135,000 followers on X, while Schlichter has nearly 620,000 and Anderson has more than 323,000.
Influencers Back Hegseth
The three veterans have repeatedly defended Hegseth and his agenda online.
Maness has argued that Hegseth should remove “disloyal” career employees from the Pentagon and recently praised the secretary’s criticism of Army leaders over academic standards for ROTC programs.
Schlichter has called Trump a “hero” for the administration’s military campaign against Iran and recently praised Hegseth on X, writing that Americans are “lucky to have” him.
Anderson has also frequently attacked critics of the Trump administration and defended Hegseth’s efforts to reshape the military. In one article, he described what he called “a cancer in America’s military ranks” that needed to be removed.
The three also participated in the Pentagon’s Senior Service College Task Force, which Hegseth created to examine what he described as “woke” ideology at military colleges.
The task force visited the Army War College in Pennsylvania in May, where its members questioned students and professors about military leadership and curriculum, according to people familiar with the visit. A report has been completed but has not yet been released.
Some students reportedly expressed concern about how candid they could be with the administration’s representatives.
Growing Questions Over Pentagon Influence
The appointments come as Hegseth has sought to reshape both the Pentagon and the way the department communicates with the public.
The former Fox News personality has imposed restrictions on journalists covering the Defense Department and helped establish a new press corps that has been more favorable toward the administration.
The controversy intensified this month after conservative influencer Jennica Pounds disclosed that she had become a special government employee for the Pentagon after previously serving as a journalist in Hegseth’s new press corps.
Pounds had been criticized after accusing a State Department official of trying to entrap her into publishing government documents. The official later acknowledged contacting Pounds and said she was not attempting to set a trap.
Former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Air Force veteran, questioned whether the Pentagon was using taxpayer money to employ social media influencers to promote partisan messages.
The Pentagon has also hired conservative journalist Jerry Dunleavy to assist with its review of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, though unlike the other cases, the department publicly disclosed his involvement.
The growing number of conservative commentators moving between political media and government roles has raised questions about transparency, conflicts of interest and whether the administration is using government positions to expand its political messaging operation.
