US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appears to be cracking under the increased demands of his job in the Pentagon, new reports claim.

Sources inside the Department of Defense – now rebranded as the ‘Department of War’ – say that Hegseth has become even more frenzied since Charlie Kirk’s violent death.

One source told the Daily Mail: ‘There’s a manic quality about him. Or let me rephrase, an even more manic quality, which is really saying something.’

Those close to the Secretary of War said he had begun pacing in meetings, with a source adding: ‘Dude is crawling out of his skin.’

‘He takes things personally when challenged – like full-blown tantrums,’ another said.

‘That warrior personae? He’s spooked.’

Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell called the allegations made by unnamed members of staff ‘false’.

After Kirk’s death Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer Rauchet, repeatedly pushed for more security for her husband, their family and their homes.

It’s not the first time Hegseth has faced scrutiny. He faced fury for ‘leaking war plans’ in a group chat earlier this year.

‘Nobody was texting war plans’, Hegseth said after sharing details of a military operation against Houthi rebels before and while it was in progress.

He had used the Signal messaging app to share the time, weapons and target with Donald Trump’s top security officials and – inadvertently – a journalist.

It turns out that wasn’t the only Signal group chat where Hegseth shared details of the airstrikes in Yemen. He also shared flight schedules in a chat with his wife and brother, the New York Times reported.

Trump later confirmed he had ‘confidence’ in Hegseth, his spokesperson said.

Former chief Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot, who resigned earlier this year, called for Hegseth to be sacked.

Writing for Politico, he claimed the Department of Defense was ‘in disarray under Hegseth’s leadership’.

‘It’s been a month of total chaos at the Pentagon’, he said.

‘From leaks of sensitive operational plans to mass firings, the dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president – who deserves better from his senior leadership.’

Trump’s ‘Secretary of War’ is ‘terrified and manic’ after Charlie Kirk’s death

Trump’s ‘Secretary of War’ has had his ‘warrior personae’ spooked.