Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in his office on January 30. Photo: U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander C. Kubitza This article was featured in One Great Story , New York ’s reading recommendation newsletter. Sign up here to get it nightly. On Dan Caldwell ’s 87th day as a senior official at the Department of Defense, he read some intelligence reports and prepped for some phone calls and ordered from the secretary’s mess his favorite Pentagon lunch: “steak bites” with asparagus and