Self-designated Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was met with an excruciatingly awkward silence as he tried to act as a hype man for President Donald Trump during a speech. Hegseth took to the stage just before Trump on board the USS George Washington at Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan on Tuesday,

The Pentagon last month unveiled new grooming standards for troops, requiring service members “to be clean shaven and neat in presentation for a proper military appearance.”

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrived in Hawaii Monday morning. This is the first leg on Hegseth’s trip, which will take him to Japan next, then Malaysia, Vietnam, and South Korea.

A new memo on communications with Capitol Hill, signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his deputy, follows restrictions on reporting out of the Pentagon.

Zookeeper and conservationist Robert Irwin filed a $60 million lawsuit against U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. A rumor that circulated online in October 2025 claimed (archived) zookeeper and conservationist Robert Irwin filed a $60 million lawsuit against U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s clampdown on Pentagon press access has blown up into an open revolt by major newsrooms, with reporters vacating their desks rather than accept new rules that tighten movement inside the building and threaten credentials for seeking information the department has not pre-cleared.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has called for stricter enforcement of fitness standards—though many of the military’s most important roles have little direct connection to physical fitness.

Pete Hegseth is said to have lost the respect of his senior officers after an “embarrassing” speech in which he railed against “fat troops” and the state of the US armed forces.