Pete Hegseth
Secretary of Defense
Peter Brian Hegseth was born in June 1980 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He earned an undergraduate degree from Princeton University, where he joined the ROTC. He later earned an M.P.P. from Harvard University. He worked in capital market analysis and served in the Minnesota National Guard.
Hegseth was deployed to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base as an infantry platoon leader. He later deployed to Iraq. He returned to active duty six years later as a captain and deployed to Afghanistan. He became a major and then was assigned to the Army Individual Ready Reserve. He later served in the District of Columbia Army National Guard. He separated from the guard in March 2021.
Hegseth advocated for American veterans with two organizations between deployments. He also formed a political action committee in Minnesota. He ran for a U.S. Senate seat but ultimately withdrew from the race before the primary. Hegseth became a contributor on Fox News.
President Trump nominated Hegseth to be his Secretary of Defense in November 2024. After his approval by the Senate, he was sworn into office in January 2025.
Hegseth is married to Jennifer, with whom he has a daughter and three step-children. He is divorced from Meredith; and divorced from Samantha, with whom he has three sons. He is now a Christian.
In the News…
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the U.S. military will be using the new Joint Warfare Evaluation as part of the assessment for colonels and Navy captains who are being considered for promotion to one-star positions.
Secretary Hegseth stated, “While the backbone of our military is our NCOs (noncommissioned officers) and our petty officers, victory depends on the commanders who lead them. America needs warfighters who can master a chaotic battle space.”
Secretary Hegseth said that commanders should be selected based on “proven competence, not paper credential.”
Citing the Louisiana Maneuvers ahead of the Second World War, the secretary explained that the Joint Warfare Evaluation “brings that standard to the modern multi-domain fight. This evaluation is an objective equalizer. The scenario only cares about operational decisions under pressure.”
