- Pete Hegseth is US Defence Secretary and a strong supporter of President Trump’s Iran war stance
- Hegseth, ex-Fox host and soldier, opposes undefined wars but backs decisive military action
- His Senate confirmation was narrow amid allegations and concerns over his conduct and views
The man in the US-Israel-Iran war spotlight is President Donald Trump. But snapping at his heels is one of his fiercest supporters - Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, whom news agency AFP this month called 'Trump's attack dog'.
An ex-Fox News host and decorated soldier, and also a self-professed opponent of "undefined wars", Hegseth mauled critics early March after they dared call the war 'ill-defined' and 'open-ended'. "America is winning - decisively, devastatingly and without mercy," he snarled March 4, hours after fighting began and questions emerged about what the US wants from the war.
But his boss seemed to toss a live grenade at him this week after claiming he was the first to favour war. "... Pete, I think you were the first one to speak up. You said, 'Let's do it, because (we) can't let them have a nuclear weapon'," Trump declared.
Hegseth sat beside Trump quietly.
Since fighting began Feb 28, an uber-combative Sec Def has been vocal about Trump not dragging the US into another 'forever war', a reference to post-military quagmires in Iraq and Afghanistan, both theatres in which Hegseth had served.
'Let's do it', Hegseth reportedly told Trump on the Iran war.
But a war now in its 25th day (with no off-ramp) and Iran's Hormuz blockade shocking energy prices, including in the US, has made it harder for Trump to justify spending billions. In that sense POTUS' jab could be seen as a 'get at it' dig.
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Enter Pete Hegseth, on whose Fox News-style rhetoric the President appears more and more reliant to sell the war to an increasingly weary American public (read MAGA), particularly with mid-term elections due in eight months.
In January 2025 Hegseth was sworn in as Secretary of Defence after the Senate approved his appointment by the smallest possible margin; Vice President JD Vance cast a tie-breaker vote.
That followed three Republican senators, including ex-majority leader Mitch McConnell, voting against him, and tough questions about a sexual assault allegation, and about his mother, Penelope Hegseth's e-mail (later retracted) accusing him of spousal abuse, and drinking. The New York Times said she wrote: "On behalf of all the women (and I know it is many) you have abused in some way, I say ... get some help and take an honest look at yourself."
One source told The New Yorker Hegseth had been seen drunk multiple times between 2013 and 2015, while another said he was once thrown out of a strip club while in military uniform. A take-down by The Daily Beast referred to him as a "dry drunk".
On the former count Hegseth has always denied wrongdoing.
The latter he dismissed as "anonymous smears". "I am not a perfect person, but redemption is real," he told the Senate. He reportedly also said he would stop drinking if appointed Defence Secretary, though he never said he would quit otherwise.
The Democrats had earlier questioned his ability to run a major organisation, never mind a military that is arguably the world's most powerful. Questions raised also by Republicans Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins.
November 2024 comments about women in combat roles - that they made the military 'less effective' - didn't dispel doubts. In fact, post his confirmation the Pentagon confirmed it is beginning a six-month review of women in ground combat jobs.
November of that year was a turbulent month for Hegseth.
It also threw up concerns from 2021 about a tattoo on Hegseth's right bicep.
Tattoos on Hegseth's right bicep in 2021. Photo: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
The inscription is 'Deus Vult', a Latin phrase 'As God wills it' and a rallying cry for Christian crusaders in the Middle Ages. It has since been linked to right-wing groups, Reuters reported.
Hegseth had quit the military after those concerns were raised, writing in his book, "The feeling was mutual - I didn't want this Army anymore either."
Hegseth was not declared an extremist, a source told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. But after the 2020 Capital riots, the military opted to err on the side of caution.
Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, which works to combat far-right extremism, did not dismiss the concerns. But she told Reuters they could just be signs of Hegseth's Christian faith, even if the symbols had been used by extremist groups.
Hegseth also came under fire over alleged financial mismanagement at veterans' nonprofits where he worked earlier.
And, a few months after he took office, Hegseth was hit by a scandal related to strikes on Yemen.
RECAP | Pete Hegseth's Signal Chat Put US Troops At Risk: Pentagon Watchdog
The Atlantic magazine revealed its editor in chief had been inadvertently included in a Signal group in which Hegseth and other officials discussed the imminent op, with the former sending messages on timing of strikes hours before they happened.
But who is Pete Hegseth
Born June 6, 1980, in Minnesota, Hegseth graduated from Princeton in 2003 with a degree in Public Policy, and served in the Army National Guard,
He served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and was awarded the Bronze Star medal twice.
In 2012 he ran for the Minnesota Senate seat on a Republican ticket before dropping out. Two years later he joined Fox News and became the co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend. And in November 2024 Trump picked Hegseth as his Defence Secretary.
With input from agencies
