A political and military firestorm is unfolding inside Washington as tensions at the Pentagon reach a boiling point. Senator Mark Kelly, the Arizona Democrat and former astronaut, has drawn a hard line against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, questioning his leadership, judgment and grip on military command in remarks that are now ricocheting across Capitol Hill. Kelly stunned observers by likening Hegseth’s command style to “a 12-year-old playing army,” framing the Pentagon chief as dangerously unqualified at a moment of heightened global risk. WATCH
