White House reviews candidates to replace deputy secretary of defence

The effort, which was under way in June, has included conversations with senior lawmakers in the Senate about whether the administration's picks would have enough support to be confirmed, said two of the people, one of whom added that the review was still going on as of late August. Reuters could not determine when the White House began considering candidates.

The three sources said no decision had been made to remove Feinberg from his post. They did not ​say why the White House was reviewing potential replacements and did not specify which candidates the White House was considering.

"These so-called anonymous 'sources' have no idea what they are talking about," ​said White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly.

"President Trump appreciates the work of Secretary Hegseth, Deputy Secretary Feinberg, and the entire Department of War, whose record of ⁠success in Operation Epic Fury, Operation Absolute Resolve, and Operation Midnight Hammer speaks for itself," she said, referring to U.S. military operations in Iran and Venezuela. The Pentagon denied a process was under way ​to replace Feinberg.

Asked for comment by Reuters, Hegseth said in a statement that Feinberg has his full support and “isn’t going anywhere.”The Pentagon did not provide a comment from Feinberg and declined to make ​him available for an interview.

A departure by Feinberg, the billionaire co-founder of private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, would be the most senior staff change for a department that has already seen a string of high-profile departures under Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned this week following months of tension, with Hegseth, the matter.

The Army has declined to comment on the reasons for his departure. Navy Secretary John Phelan ​and several senior Army leaders have also departed in recent months. Feinberg, who vowed to accelerate U.S. munitions production, has not yet met that goal, the U.S. industrial ​base cannot ramp up quickly.

Some defense industry executives say his task has been complicated by the slow pace of Congress appropriating funds despite immense pressure from the administration.

Feinberg "has worked tirelessly to rebuild our Defense Industrial Base and ‌ensure our ⁠military has everything it needs to win, and I look forward to continuing to work with him," Hegseth said in his statement to Reuters, adding, "He’s doing a tremendous job for President Trump, for the Department, and for our warfighters. "