FILE PHOTO: U.S.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivers a speech during a ceremony marking the 24th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States at the Pentagon, in Washington D.C., U.S., September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo

By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is launching a new effort to overhaul the military's watchdog agencies, sparking concerns among current and former U.S. officials that wrongdoing could go unreported or unexamined in the largest - and most expensive - branch of the U.S. government.

Hegseth signed a memo this week aimed at halting spurious investigations into military fraud and abuse, a move that comes as the Trump administration weakens inspectors general across the federal government. Hegseth himself is being investigated over his use of the commercial messaging app Signal to discuss Yemen attack plans.

Federal inspectors general offices were created by Congress in 1978 as independent parts of U.S. government agencies to investigate and audit waste, fraud and abuse. Since returning to office in January, Trump has fired at least 17 of them across the government, prompting accusations from Democrats that he wants to eliminate accountability for his administration.

"We are overhauling an inspector general process, the IG, that has been weaponized, putting complainers, ideologues and poor performers in the driver's seat," Hegseth told top U.S. military leaders on Tuesday.

The reforms include forcing IG offices to decide whether tips are backed by "credible evidence" within seven days and to track any "repeat complainants."

Officials who spoke with Reuters were not aware of any timeline, prior to the memo, for evaluating complaints.

Some current and former officials agree with Hegseth that complaints can be used to settle scores within the military, a vast bureaucracy of 2 million people where promotions and even retirements can be held up and thwarted by complaints to IGs.

One U.S. official who approved of Hegseth's move said the memo could mean fewer frivolous complaints, allowing investigators to focus on more important tips.

But critics of the reforms argue they could ultimately hamper oversight, weaken the independence of the IG and put whistleblowers in an impossible situation.

"Hegseth is trying to shut down investigations and increasingly punish victims for reporting extremely difficult issues," Senator Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat and fierce critic of Hegseth, told Reuters.

The Pentagon said it did not have any comment beyond the memo itself.

LESS ACCOUNTABILITY?

Hegseth's move drew criticism from advocates and some current and former officials.

"Let's call this what it is: a coordinated assault against oversight, accountability, and lawful whistleblowers," Whistleblower Aid, a legal advocacy group, said in a statement.

A second U.S. official said that evaluating a complaint is a labor-intensive process, sometimes requiring experts who are often overworked, and difficult to complete within the one week the memo calls for.

A former senior U.S. official added that updating the subject of a review every 14 days, which the memo orders, would undermine the integrity of the investigation by potentially disclosing future steps and revealing evidence they already have.

Each military branch has its own watchdog, but unlike federal inspectors general offices, they have certain limitations.

The cases handled by military inspectors general offices range from employment conditions to corruption among senior officers.

Last month, a retired four-star admiral was sentenced to six years in prison for bribery. The first complaint against the officer came from a tip to an inspector general hotline, the former official said.

The Pentagon's inspector general office has investigated senior officials across administrations, including former President Joe Biden's defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, over his secret hospitalization in 2024, which he failed to disclose to the president.

Earlier this year, it started a review of Hegseth's use of an unclassified commercial texting application to coordinate highly sensitive U.S. strikes on Yemen's Houthis.

Hegseth has repeatedly said no classified information was revealed in the chat, even though it included precise times for the launch of U.S. airstrikes and some targeting details.

The new memo would not impact the investigation into Hegseth, and officials have told Reuters that the review could be published within the coming days.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart; Editing by Don Durfee and Tom Hogue)