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CBS News chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett sat down with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday to discuss the war with Iran, potential American casualties, and what an Iranian surrender could look like. CBS aired an edited version of this full interview on TV on Sunday. "We're very much on track, on plan," Hegseth said. "We're not flying a mission accomplished banner-- like George W. Bush on-- on an aircraft carrier. We're not doing that and we haven't done that. But we can be clear with the American people that this is not a fair fight." "Our capabilities are overwhelming...

The White House repostedDepartment of War 🇺🇸@DeptofWar·36m https://x.com/DOWResponse/status/2029193589079613857 DOW Rapid Response@DOWResponse.@SECWAR “In the Indian Ocean—an American submarine sunk an Iranian warship, that thought it was safe in international waters.Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo—Quiet Death.The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War 2. Like in that war—back when we were still the War Department—we are fighting to win."

War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday outlined what he described as a "clear" three-part mission against Iran, insisting the conflict "is not endless" and sharply rejecting comparisons to past U.S. wars in the Middle East. Speaking during the first Pentagon briefing since U.S.-Israeli strikes began over the weekend, Hegseth said Operation Epic Fury has a narrowly defined objective: destroy Iran’s offensive missile capabilities, cripple its navy and prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Washington — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday that the Pentagon would be canceling troops' attendance at graduate programs at some of the nation's top universities, calling them "woke breeding grounds of toxic indoctrination." "Today, just like we did with Harvard, I am ordering the complete and immediate cancellation of all Department of War attendance at institutions like Princeton, Columbia, MIT, Brown, Yale and many others, starting next academic year, 2026-2027," Hegseth said in a video statement. "We cannot and will not continue to send our most capable officers, senior officers, into graduate programs that undermine the very values they...

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has ordered Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to remove Col. Dave Butler from his current job serving as chief of Army Public Affairs and chief advisor to Driscoll, who is currently in Geneva serving on the negotiating team to end the Ukraine war, Fox News has learned. Butler served as the head of public affairs for the Joint Chiefs when Gen. Mark Milley was chairman, and was slated to receive his first star. His name appeared for two years in a row on an Army list of 34 officers selected for promotion.

BREAKING: Judge blocks Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth's attempt to discipline/demote Sen. Mark Kelly over his comments re Trump-ordered boat strikes. Judge Richard Leon (GWBush) says admin is trying to strip 1st Amendment rights of military retirees. Doc: https://ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2026cv0081-37

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is not expected to attend a NATO defence ministers' meeting in Brussels next month, two sources said, the second time in a row that a top Trump administration official skips a gathering of the military alliance. U.S. President Donald Trump has had a tense relationship with NATO and many of its other members, most recently over his desire to acquire Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of fellow alliance member Denmark. The sources, a U.S. official and a NATO diplomat, both said Hegseth would miss the Feb 12 gathering at NATO headquarters. U.S. Secretary of State Marco...

Pete Hegseth appeared to have a quickly lost patience for the Ukrainian plight in its fight against Russia as he took over leadership at the Pentagon last year. The Secretary of Defense – later renamed War Secretary – seemed to have a disdain for any pro-Ukraine generals left over from President Joe Biden's term, according to a New York Times report. Specifically, sources detail tension between General Christopher Cavoli, who is now retired but was commander of United States European Command from 2022 until his retirement from the Army in July 2025. One official said it remains unclear whether Hegseth...

Pete Hegseth’s Saturday begins with personal training. The Secretary of War, @SecWar on your socials, is very fond of working out with the troops – something most defense secretaries have done without someone dutifully filming the experience for Instagram. Then he heads off to the Reagan National Defense Forum, the annual gathering of war hawks, policy nerds and defense contractors in Simi Valley, California. Hegseth, the veteran of the Global War on Terror, is there to fulfill his mission of denouncing the neocons. “Out with idealistic utopianism, in with hard-nosed realism,” he declares, insisting the United States will no longer...

The criticisms against Sec. of War Pete Hegseth are “entirely political,” and anyone could have said the same things about “the Obama and Biden administration—and much more egregiously.” Hegseth has turned the U.S. military around in ways no one thought was possible, like getting the military back to meeting all of its recruiting quotas, explains Hanson during today’s episode of “Victor Davis Hanson: In a Few Words.” Recruitment under the Biden administration fell “some 40 to 50,000 recruits,” and former Sec. of Defense Lloyd Austin’s Pentagon used excuses like “people are out of shape, in gangs, using drugs, etc.”

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is driving a major overhaul to pivot the US military away from Europe and the Middle East and refocus operations on the Western Hemisphere, sources indicate to the Washington Post. Top Pentagon leadership are finalizing a plan that would dramatically downgrade America's military presence in traditional theaters while consolidating power closer to home – marking a fundamental shift in US strategic priorities. The proposal would reduce US Central Command, US Africa Command and US European Command to subordinate status under a new umbrella organization called US International Command – stripping these Middle Eastern and European-focused...

When the publishers of this children’s book are aghast that it’s being used to push hilarious reactions to liberal insanity, you know you’ve hit a home run. Enter ‘Franklin the Turtle,’ a Canadian children’s book series that has become a social media sensation, as good patriots have turned it into many memes mocking liberal policies. The use of Photoshop and AI is elite. I’m sorry—they’re all hilarious. I can’t post all of them because, well, I would get in trouble, but you could imagine. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s post showing the turtle blowing up narco-terrorists was total cinema. It...

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) blasted Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Tuesday for his role in the controversy surrounding the strike on a suspected Venezuelan narcoterrorist cartel boat on Sept. 2. “Secretary Hegseth said he had no knowledge of this, and it did not happen. It was fake news. It didn’t happen. And then the next day, from the podium at the White House are saying it did happen,” Paul said while speaking to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. “So, either he was lying to us … or he’s incompetent and didn’t know it had happened.” Paul also...

EXCLUSIVE: 🚨SECRETARY OF THE ARMY’S OFFICE PLOTTING COUP AT THE PENTAGON TO REMOVE @SecWar PETE HEGSETH AND REPLACE HIM WITH @SecArmy DAN DRISCOLL 🚨 Individuals in the office of US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll have been orchestrating a Coup against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth @PeteHegseth in an effort to have him removed by President Trump and replaced by Dan Driscoll. Over the last 2 weeks, the legacy media, which is incredibly hostile to Hegseth, has been posting puff pieces about Dan Driscoll and how he is a “rising star” at the Pentagon. Sources have told me that Jake Sullivan...

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth posted a cartoon meme Sunday about the Trump administration’s military campaign targeting South American drug boats that drew outrage from liberals upset about the attacks. The post has gone viral with over five million views as of late Sunday night. Hegseth posted a cartoon meme of Canadian children’s book character Franklin the Turtle titled “Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists”, that features Franklin on a military helicopter firing on drug boats, with the message, “For your Christmas wish list”: Biden Defense Department spokeswoman Sabrina Singh, who worked for SecDef Lloyd Austin, posted, “Imagine any other SecDef posting...

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing bipartisan scrutiny over his reported order to strike a boat in the Caribbean a second time, killing two survivors who were clinging to the ship’s wreckage on Sept. 2. The Washington Post reported Friday that Hegseth issued an order to “kill everybody” after the initial strike, the first of what is now more than 20 such attacks, did not immediately kill all 11 of the people on board the vessel, leading the Special Operations commander overseeing the attack to order a second strike. Some Democrats and a senior Republican said Sunday the strike was...

The Boy Scouts of America was officially chartered by Congress in 1916 for one purpose: That the purpose of this corporation shall be to promote, through organization and co-operation with other agencies, the ability of boys to do things for themselves and others, to train them in scoutcraft, and to teach them patriotism, courage, self- reliance and kindred virtues. While that official charter did not necessarily make the Boy Scouts of America an official part of the U.S. government, it has given them many perks over the years. Like for example, the law that gives The Boy Scouts of America...

Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) issued a statement Saturday vowing to conduct “vigorous oversight” on Caribbean strikes after a report surfaced that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the U.S. military to “kill everybody” aboard an alleged drug vessel. “The Committee is aware of recent news reports — and the Department of Defense’s initial response — regarding alleged follow-on strikes on suspected narcotics vessels in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” the senators wrote in a joint statement. “The Committee has directed inquires to the Department, and we will be conducting vigorous oversight to determine the facts related to...

Pete Hegseth has done an admirable job, restoring standards and respect for the US military after Democrats had been reducing it to a social engineering lab focused on promoting DEI and sexual psychosis. For this, the liberal establishment punishes him: Comedy Central animated series South Park took aim at President Donald Trump’s Secretary of War Pete Hegseth Wednesday, calling him a “douchebag,” in an episode that aired on the same day that two National Guard members were gunned down by a radicalized Afghan migrant in Washington D.C. Other liberals actually blame Hegseth for this act of terror. The cartoon characterizes...

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth declared that the United States has “only just begun to kill narco-terrorists,” a blunt call to escalate direct action against cartel operatives. Hegseth reinforced the message in a separate post, vowing that the campaign against transnational drug cartels has entered a new phase. Together, the remarks underscore a growing push inside the national security establishment to treat cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and confront them with military force.In a Friday night post on social media, Secretary Hegseth bluntly and boldly stated, “We have only just begun to kill narco-terrorists.”The secretary doubled down two minutes...