Senate hearing exposes deep frustration with Pentagon policy shop and leaves Trump nominee answering for leadership lapses
The latest nomination from President Trump turned into a grilling because senators seized the chance to press the Pentagon about communication failures, sudden policy shifts and what they call growing secrecy inside the policy office.
The nominee, Austin Dahmer, picked to serve as assistant secretary for strategy, plans and forces, faced sharp questioning from both parties as lawmakers unloaded longstanding complaints about getting timely information from the Defense Department.
Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee voiced particular impatience, arguing that the policy shop has been ignoring direction and failing to consult Congress on big moves, and they made Dahmer the immediate target for those complaints even though he is not yet confirmed.
Committee members pointed to a pattern of surprises coming out of the Pentagon that seemed uncoordinated with the White House and left oversight committees scrambling for answers.
Chairman Roger Wicker opened by laying out a blunt assessment: “Members and staff of this committee have struggled to receive information from the policy office,” and he warned that the trend pointed to decisions being made without proper alignment with presidential guidance.
Wicker added, “I’ve noticed an unsettling trend this year,” and he went on to describe episodes where “At times, the Pentagon officials have pursued policies that are not in accord with President Trump’s orders or seem uncoordinated within the administration.” That blunt framing set the tone for tough questioning across the aisle.
Lawmakers have been left in the dark about a string of controversial decisions — including at least one pause in Ukraine military aid, a review of the AUKUS submarine pact, canceled troop deployments and meetings with key allies.
Those concrete examples fed the committee’s frustration and gave members ammunition to press Dahmer on why the policy shop had not briefed Congress or provided the expected coordination on sensitive issues affecting national security.
Wicker also reminded the panel of a recent, abrupt change tied to an Army brigade’s deployment to Romania, saying it undercut the administration’s stated policy and surprised allies and lawmakers who expected consistency.
“This decision did not appear to reflect the policy mandate of President Trump,” the chairman said, and senators wanted to know why such decisions were appearing without consultation or explanation to Congress.
Dahmer was asked to explain a seemingly minor but symbolically important detail: why his title had been altered and why that shift was not flagged to congressional overseers in advance.
That line of questioning highlighted both transparency and accountability concerns, and it underscored why Republicans on the committee are demanding clearer lines of authority inside the Pentagon that reflect presidential priorities.
Members emphasized that the policy office must become more responsive to Congress, especially on items that alter deployments, alliances or aid programs, and they signaled they expect new leadership to fix the breakdowns.
The hearing also made clear a political point: when the Pentagon’s policy shop acts without clear alignment to the White House, Congress steps in to force accountability, and that dynamic played out with Dahmer in the hot seat.
Across the session, senators pushed for concrete fixes and clearer communication practices so that future surprises won’t catch Congress or allies off guard, signaling that any nominee must show how he will restore order and transparency in policy decisions.
