{"id":1836418,"date":"2026-03-18T11:12:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T08:12:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1836418"},"modified":"2026-03-18T11:12:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T08:12:26","slug":"what-the-us-defense-strategy-means-for-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1836418","title":{"rendered":"What the US defense strategy means for the world"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76356260_6.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"sk6xmai\">\n<div class=\"content-area sa7l9jt s9mg977\">\n<section data-tracking-name=\"sharing-icons-inline\" class=\"c75t7t0 hh5424a in-line closed\">\n<div class=\"copy-button-wrapper closed\"><span class=\"svdcmki\">https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5AZmh<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<figure class=\"s4bcs45\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76356260_800.webp 50w, https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76356260_801.webp 129w, https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76356260_802.webp 352w, https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76356260_803.webp 575w\" media=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 575px)\" height=\"100\" width=\"100\" \/><figcaption class=\"c1oedowi lofg86o m4xla6a s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">The role of US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was updated to &#8220;Secretary of War&#8221; by US President Donald Trump<small class=\"copyright c19ed66t ihwmx5 idu7i8u lxmvniw icns9en rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">Image: Brendan Smialowski\/AFP<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p>US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has long been known for speaking bluntly.\u00a0As a commentator at the conservative US television network Fox News, he celebrated <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/us-president-donald-trump-russia-ukraine-israel-gaza-tariffs-trade-war\/t-19434433\">Donald Trump&#8217;s<\/a>\u00a0political instincts. This went down particularly well with Trump and the supporters of his <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/the-powers-driving-trumps-maga-movement\/a-75190840\">&#8220;Make America Great Again&#8221;\u00a0movement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth has meanwhile turned into the head of the US Army and, at Trump&#8217;s behest,\u00a0calls himself\u00a0the &#8220;<a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/us-trump-signs-order-renaming-pentagon-department-of-war\/a-73887300\">secretary of war<\/a>.&#8221; As a result, the world takes notice when he chooses words that skirt the boundaries of international law.<\/p>\n<p>In early March, he described the rules of engagement for US soldiers as &#8220;stupid&#8221; during a press conference on the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/us-israel-war-with-iran\/t-76168615\">war with Iran<\/a>, casting doubt on rules intended to prevent war crimes.<\/p>\n<p>In mid-March, he declared &#8220;no quarter, no mercy for our enemies&#8221; in Iran.<\/p>\n<p>In military terms, this means that even those who have surrendered will be killed, explains Jacqueline Hellman, an expert in international law at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.<\/p>\n<p>The statement &#8220;alludes to a practice that is expressly prohibited,&#8221; she told DW, adding that, as mere rhetoric, this is not punishable.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But, she explained, such a statement could be classified as a war crime if it is formulated as an order and results in corresponding actions by the armed forces.<\/p>\n<h2>Is Hegseth at odds with international law?<\/h2>\n<p>It is not the first time critics have linked Hegseth to war crimes. During the US military&#8217;s\u00a0attacks on suspected <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/us-urges-latin-america-to-use-military-force-against-drug-cartels\/a-76237257\">smuggling boats<\/a> from <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/venezuela\/t-38335048\">Venezuela<\/a>, it was alleged that Hegseth ordered that the strikes should be lethal. This led to accusations that controversial follow-up airstrikes on a boat in the Caribbean, which killed two survivors of an initial attack, came about because of that order. However, Hegseth has strongly denied issuing a kill order.\u00a0Admiral Frank &#8220;Mitch&#8221; Bradley also testified to lawmakers that he ordered the second strike himself and there was no &#8220;kill them all&#8221; order from Hegseth.<\/p>\n<p>Before Hegseth became defense secretary, he seemed\u00a0at odds with the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. In a <a rel=\"noopener follow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"external-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=DoN5ovwB8s4\" title=\"External link \u2014 2024 interview with podcast host\u00a0Shawn Ryan\">2024 interview with podcast host\u00a0Shawn Ryan<\/a>, a former Navy SEAL,\u00a0Hegseth\u00a0defended three former US soldiers who had been convicted of war crimes and pardoned by Trump in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve written rules that are impossible, that are written for our guys to be in handcuffs,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>His example was the rule that US soldiers may only shoot at armed, suspected enemies once they have taken aim at them. He said that during his deployment to Iraq in 2005, he had told his men,\u00a0&#8220;Guys, we&#8217;re not doing that.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"vjs-wrapper embed big\">\n<h2 aria-label=\"Embedded video \u2014 What the US defense strategy means for the world\" class=\"headline\">What the US defense strategy means for the world<\/h2>\n<p><video id=\"video-75824323\" controls playsinline preload=\"none\" poster=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\" data-id=\"75824323\" data-posterurl=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/75276835_605.webp\" data-duration=\"01:29\"><source src=\"https:\/\/hlsvod.dw.com\/i\/vps\/webvideos\/ENG\/2026\/NEWS\/NEWSENG260130_QPDefenseStrategyUS-WIDE-Dirty_01SMW_,AVC_480x270,AVC_512x288,AVC_640x360,AVC_960x540,AVC_1280x720,AVC_1920x1080,.mp4.csmil\/master.m3u8\" type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\" \/><\/video><\/div>\n<h2>Hegseth&#8217;s military career<\/h2>\n<p>Pete Hegseth, born in 1980, grew up in a suburb of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area in Minnesota. After high school, he studied politics at the elite Princeton University, where he became a conservative voice on campus as editor of <em>The Princeton Tory<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>After graduating, he enlisted in the military in 2003. During his active duty, he served at the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/united-states-of-america\/t-19065189\">US<\/a> detention camp at <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/guantanamo-bay-prison-camp\/t-38214880\">Guantanamo Bay<\/a>\u00a0in Cuba, in <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/iraq\/t-19037666\">Iraq<\/a>\u00a0and in <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/afghanistan\/t-18932080\">Afghanistan<\/a>. He received several awards\u00a0and rose to the rank of major.<\/p>\n<p>In 2014, Hegseth transferred to the National Guard Reserve. At the same time, he began working at Fox News as a commentator and host, making him known to a wider audience.<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth increasingly presented himself as an experienced frontline soldier with a steeled body and an iron will to fight for conservative causes,\u00a0including appearing shirtless in social media posts and books such as &#8220;Modern Warriors&#8221; and &#8220;American Crusade.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Hegseth accused of extremism<\/h2>\n<p>Until 2024, Hegseth remained a reservist in the National Guard\u00a0but then left at his own request after comrades in his unit reported him as a possible <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/right-wing-extremism\/t-65755280\">extremist<\/a>. The reason for this was allegedly social media posts and his tattoos, as he said in his 2024 interview with Ryan.<\/p>\n<p>His chest bears the so-called Jerusalem Cross, first documented as a symbol of the Crusaders. His bicep bears the Latin inscription &#8220;Deus Vult&#8221; (English: God wills it), which was not only a battle cry of the Crusaders but is also popular in far-right circles.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to his identification with the Crusaders, his church membership also offers insight into his belief system.\u00a0Hegseth belongs to the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), a movement whose leader seeks to turn the US into a Christian theocracy.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"placeholder-image master_landscape big\"><img data-format=\"MASTER_LANDSCAPE\" data-id=\"76399558\" data-url=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76399558_${formatId}.jpg\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" alt='Right arm of the US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that shows the tatooed words \"We the People\"'><figcaption class=\"img-caption\">Pete Hegseth&#8217;s right arm is marked with the words &#8216;We the People&#8217; <small class=\"copyright\">Image: picture alliance \/ ZUMAPRESS.com<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Trump&#8217;s choice of Hegseth as defense secretary<\/h2>\n<p>Once it became known that Trump intended to appoint Hegseth as secretary of defense, resistance emerged within the Republican Party. Even though many would have preferred a seasoned defense policy expert, Trump prevailed and stated, among other things,\u00a0&#8220;Pete is tough, smart\u00a0and a true believer in &#8216;America First&#8217;.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>For Trump, Hegseth&#8217;s loyalty seemed to matter more than his qualifications for the office, for Hegseth\u00a0had little political experience.\u00a0In 2012, he joined the Republican Party to run for the US\u00a0Senate in Minnesota\u00a0but withdrew his candidacy shortly thereafter. He established further political connections as president of the organization &#8220;Concerned Veterans of America.&#8221; However, when Trump considered him for the position of Secretary of Veterans Affairs in 2016, several veterans&#8217; organizations protested.<\/p>\n<h2>Critical questions in Hegseth&#8217;s Senate confirmation hearing<\/h2>\n<p>Nevertheless, Trump appointed Hegseth\u00a0to\u00a0his cabinet in 2025. Hegseth faced critical questioning during his confirmation hearing in the US Senate.<\/p>\n<p>Republican Senator Joni Ernst, herself an Iraq veteran, questioned him at length about his views on the role of women in the military. Hegseth had previously spoken out against women serving in combat roles and against diversity in the military. Before the Senate, he downplayed some of these positions but emphasized that military effectiveness was more important than equality policies.<\/p>\n<p>Added to this were doubts about his character.\u00a0A woman had dropped her allegations of sexual assault against Hegseth in 2017 following an out-of-court settlement. Hegseth\u00a0emphasized that the affair had been consensual\u00a0but described it as serious misconduct toward his wife at the time. Hegseth also denied allegations from different sides that he had a drinking problem.<\/p>\n<p>The decisive vote in the Senate ended in a tie: three Republicans had voted against him. However, Hegseth still became Secretary of Defense due to the support of Vice President <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/jd-vance\/t-70177094\">JD Vance<\/a>, whose tie-breaking vote is decisive in such cases.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"placeholder-image master_landscape big\"><img data-format=\"MASTER_LANDSCAPE\" data-id=\"74195833\" data-url=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/74195833_${formatId}.jpg\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" alt=\"Pete Hegseth screams and raises his fists during a speech to the US military\"><figcaption class=\"img-caption\">Pete Hegseth, US Secretary of War, is known for his controversial choice of words and loyalty to Donald Trump<small class=\"copyright\">Image: Andrew Harnik\/Getty Images\/dpa\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Hegseth&#8217;s changes to the US military<\/h2>\n<p>Since then, Hegseth has continued pursuing his plans to eliminate diversity from the US armed forces. Some observers view the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/hegseth-orders-20-cut-in-number-of-top-pentagon-officers\/a-72443265\">dismissal<\/a>\u00a0and demotion of several long-serving generals as part of this effort.<\/p>\n<p>In March 2025, he came under fire for <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/signal-group-chat-had-us-plans-for-yemen-attack\/a-72023690\">leaking classified information<\/a>, which he had apparently inadvertently disclosed in chats with journalists and other unauthorized individuals.<\/p>\n<p>In September 2025, he caused a stir when he summoned hundreds of US generals, some of whom were on active missions around the world, to a meeting alongside Trump at the Naval Base in Quantico, Virginia, to rally them to his course of action.<\/p>\n<p>In Hegseth&#8217;s own words, this means above all to &#8220;restore the warrior ethos.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"vjs-wrapper embed big\">\n<h2 aria-label=\"Embedded video \u2014 Trump, Defense Secretary Hegseth summon US top generals\" class=\"headline\">Trump, Defense Secretary Hegseth summon US top generals<\/h2>\n<p><video id=\"video-74193140\" controls playsinline preload=\"none\" poster=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\" data-id=\"74193140\" data-posterurl=\"https:\/\/tvdownloaddw-a.akamaihd.net\/stills\/images\/je\/je20250930_PartnerCancian_image_512x288_3.jpg\" data-duration=\"05:10\"><source src=\"https:\/\/hlsvod.dw.com\/i\/dwtv_video\/flv\/je\/je20250930_PartnerCancian_,AVC_480x270,AVC_512x288,AVC_640x360,AVC_960x540,AVC_1280x720,AVC_1920x1080,.mp4.csmil\/master.m3u8\" type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\" \/><\/video><\/div>\n<p><em>An earlier version of this article said that Hegseth had been accused of rape. The charge was actually sexual assault. We apologize for this error.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This article was originally published in German.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p>US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has long been known for speaking bluntly.\u00a0As a commentator at the conservative US television network Fox News, he celebrated <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/us-president-donald-trump-russia-ukraine-israel-gaza-tariffs-trade-war\/t-19434433\">Donald Trump&#8217;s<\/a>\u00a0political instincts. This went down particularly well with Trump and the supporters of his <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/the-powers-driving-trumps-maga-movement\/a-75190840\">&#8220;Make America Great Again&#8221;\u00a0movement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth has meanwhile turned into the head of the US Army and, at Trump&#8217;s behest,\u00a0calls himself\u00a0the &#8220;<a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/us-trump-signs-order-renaming-pentagon-department-of-war\/a-73887300\">secretary of war<\/a>.&#8221; As a result, the world takes notice when he chooses words that skirt the boundaries of international law.<\/p>\n<p>In early March, he described the rules of engagement for US soldiers as &#8220;stupid&#8221; during a press conference on the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/us-israel-war-with-iran\/t-76168615\">war with Iran<\/a>, casting doubt on rules intended to prevent war crimes.<\/p>\n<p>In mid-March, he declared &#8220;no quarter, no mercy for our enemies&#8221; in Iran.<\/p>\n<p>In military terms, this means that even those who have surrendered will be killed, explains Jacqueline Hellman, an expert in international law at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.<\/p>\n<p>The statement &#8220;alludes to a practice that is expressly prohibited,&#8221; she told DW, adding that, as mere rhetoric, this is not punishable.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But, she explained, such a statement could be classified as a war crime if it is formulated as an order and results in corresponding actions by the armed forces.<\/p>\n<h2>Is Hegseth at odds with international law?<\/h2>\n<p>It is not the first time critics have linked Hegseth to war crimes. During the US military&#8217;s\u00a0attacks on suspected <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/us-urges-latin-america-to-use-military-force-against-drug-cartels\/a-76237257\">smuggling boats<\/a> from <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/venezuela\/t-38335048\">Venezuela<\/a>, it was alleged that Hegseth ordered that the strikes should be lethal. This led to accusations that controversial follow-up airstrikes on a boat in the Caribbean, which killed two survivors of an initial attack, came about because of that order. However, Hegseth has strongly denied issuing a kill order.\u00a0Admiral Frank &#8220;Mitch&#8221; Bradley also testified to lawmakers that he ordered the second strike himself and there was no &#8220;kill them all&#8221; order from Hegseth.<\/p>\n<p>Before Hegseth became defense secretary, he seemed\u00a0at odds with the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. In a <a rel=\"noopener follow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"external-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=DoN5ovwB8s4\" title=\"External link \u2014 2024 interview with podcast host\u00a0Shawn Ryan\">2024 interview with podcast host\u00a0Shawn Ryan<\/a>, a former Navy SEAL,\u00a0Hegseth\u00a0defended three former US soldiers who had been convicted of war crimes and pardoned by Trump in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve written rules that are impossible, that are written for our guys to be in handcuffs,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>His example was the rule that US soldiers may only shoot at armed, suspected enemies once they have taken aim at them. He said that during his deployment to Iraq in 2005, he had told his men,\u00a0&#8220;Guys, we&#8217;re not doing that.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"vjs-wrapper embed big\">\n<h2 aria-label=\"Embedded video \u2014 What the US defense strategy means for the world\" class=\"headline\">What the US defense strategy means for the world<\/h2>\n<p><video id=\"video-75824323\" controls playsinline preload=\"none\" poster=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\" data-id=\"75824323\" data-posterurl=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/75276835_605.webp\" data-duration=\"01:29\"><source src=\"https:\/\/hlsvod.dw.com\/i\/vps\/webvideos\/ENG\/2026\/NEWS\/NEWSENG260130_QPDefenseStrategyUS-WIDE-Dirty_01SMW_,AVC_480x270,AVC_512x288,AVC_640x360,AVC_960x540,AVC_1280x720,AVC_1920x1080,.mp4.csmil\/master.m3u8\" type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\" \/><\/video><\/div>\n<h2>Hegseth&#8217;s military career<\/h2>\n<p>Pete Hegseth, born in 1980, grew up in a suburb of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area in Minnesota. After high school, he studied politics at the elite Princeton University, where he became a conservative voice on campus as editor of <em>The Princeton Tory<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>After graduating, he enlisted in the military in 2003. During his active duty, he served at the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/united-states-of-america\/t-19065189\">US<\/a> detention camp at <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/guantanamo-bay-prison-camp\/t-38214880\">Guantanamo Bay<\/a>\u00a0in Cuba, in <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/iraq\/t-19037666\">Iraq<\/a>\u00a0and in <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/afghanistan\/t-18932080\">Afghanistan<\/a>. He received several awards\u00a0and rose to the rank of major.<\/p>\n<p>In 2014, Hegseth transferred to the National Guard Reserve. At the same time, he began working at Fox News as a commentator and host, making him known to a wider audience.<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth increasingly presented himself as an experienced frontline soldier with a steeled body and an iron will to fight for conservative causes,\u00a0including appearing shirtless in social media posts and books such as &#8220;Modern Warriors&#8221; and &#8220;American Crusade.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Hegseth accused of extremism<\/h2>\n<p>Until 2024, Hegseth remained a reservist in the National Guard\u00a0but then left at his own request after comrades in his unit reported him as a possible <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/right-wing-extremism\/t-65755280\">extremist<\/a>. The reason for this was allegedly social media posts and his tattoos, as he said in his 2024 interview with Ryan.<\/p>\n<p>His chest bears the so-called Jerusalem Cross, first documented as a symbol of the Crusaders. His bicep bears the Latin inscription &#8220;Deus Vult&#8221; (English: God wills it), which was not only a battle cry of the Crusaders but is also popular in far-right circles.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to his identification with the Crusaders, his church membership also offers insight into his belief system.\u00a0Hegseth belongs to the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), a movement whose leader seeks to turn the US into a Christian theocracy.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"placeholder-image master_landscape big\"><img data-format=\"MASTER_LANDSCAPE\" data-id=\"76399558\" data-url=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76399558_${formatId}.jpg\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" alt='Right arm of the US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that shows the tatooed words \"We the People\"'><figcaption class=\"img-caption\">Pete Hegseth&#8217;s right arm is marked with the words &#8216;We the People&#8217; <small class=\"copyright\">Image: picture alliance \/ ZUMAPRESS.com<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Trump&#8217;s choice of Hegseth as defense secretary<\/h2>\n<p>Once it became known that Trump intended to appoint Hegseth as secretary of defense, resistance emerged within the Republican Party. Even though many would have preferred a seasoned defense policy expert, Trump prevailed and stated, among other things,\u00a0&#8220;Pete is tough, smart\u00a0and a true believer in &#8216;America First&#8217;.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>For Trump, Hegseth&#8217;s loyalty seemed to matter more than his qualifications for the office, for Hegseth\u00a0had little political experience.\u00a0In 2012, he joined the Republican Party to run for the US\u00a0Senate in Minnesota\u00a0but withdrew his candidacy shortly thereafter. He established further political connections as president of the organization &#8220;Concerned Veterans of America.&#8221; However, when Trump considered him for the position of Secretary of Veterans Affairs in 2016, several veterans&#8217; organizations protested.<\/p>\n<h2>Critical questions in Hegseth&#8217;s Senate confirmation hearing<\/h2>\n<p>Nevertheless, Trump appointed Hegseth\u00a0to\u00a0his cabinet in 2025. Hegseth faced critical questioning during his confirmation hearing in the US Senate.<\/p>\n<p>Republican Senator Joni Ernst, herself an Iraq veteran, questioned him at length about his views on the role of women in the military. Hegseth had previously spoken out against women serving in combat roles and against diversity in the military. Before the Senate, he downplayed some of these positions but emphasized that military effectiveness was more important than equality policies.<\/p>\n<p>Added to this were doubts about his character.\u00a0A woman had dropped her allegations of sexual assault against Hegseth in 2017 following an out-of-court settlement. Hegseth\u00a0emphasized that the affair had been consensual\u00a0but described it as serious misconduct toward his wife at the time. Hegseth also denied allegations from different sides that he had a drinking problem.<\/p>\n<p>The decisive vote in the Senate ended in a tie: three Republicans had voted against him. However, Hegseth still became Secretary of Defense due to the support of Vice President <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/jd-vance\/t-70177094\">JD Vance<\/a>, whose tie-breaking vote is decisive in such cases.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"placeholder-image master_landscape big\"><img data-format=\"MASTER_LANDSCAPE\" data-id=\"74195833\" data-url=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/74195833_${formatId}.jpg\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" alt=\"Pete Hegseth screams and raises his fists during a speech to the US military\"><figcaption class=\"img-caption\">Pete Hegseth, US Secretary of War, is known for his controversial choice of words and loyalty to Donald Trump<small class=\"copyright\">Image: Andrew Harnik\/Getty Images\/dpa\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Hegseth&#8217;s changes to the US military<\/h2>\n<p>Since then, Hegseth has continued pursuing his plans to eliminate diversity from the US armed forces. Some observers view the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/hegseth-orders-20-cut-in-number-of-top-pentagon-officers\/a-72443265\">dismissal<\/a>\u00a0and demotion of several long-serving generals as part of this effort.<\/p>\n<p>In March 2025, he came under fire for <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/signal-group-chat-had-us-plans-for-yemen-attack\/a-72023690\">leaking classified information<\/a>, which he had apparently inadvertently disclosed in chats with journalists and other unauthorized individuals.<\/p>\n<p>In September 2025, he caused a stir when he summoned hundreds of US generals, some of whom were on active missions around the world, to a meeting alongside Trump at the Naval Base in Quantico, Virginia, to rally them to his course of action.<\/p>\n<p>In Hegseth&#8217;s own words, this means above all to &#8220;restore the warrior ethos.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"vjs-wrapper embed big\">\n<h2 aria-label=\"Embedded video \u2014 Trump, Defense Secretary Hegseth summon US top generals\" class=\"headline\">Trump, Defense Secretary Hegseth summon US top generals<\/h2>\n<p><video id=\"video-74193140\" controls playsinline preload=\"none\" poster=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\" data-id=\"74193140\" data-posterurl=\"https:\/\/tvdownloaddw-a.akamaihd.net\/stills\/images\/je\/je20250930_PartnerCancian_image_512x288_3.jpg\" data-duration=\"05:10\"><source src=\"https:\/\/hlsvod.dw.com\/i\/dwtv_video\/flv\/je\/je20250930_PartnerCancian_,AVC_480x270,AVC_512x288,AVC_640x360,AVC_960x540,AVC_1280x720,AVC_1920x1080,.mp4.csmil\/master.m3u8\" type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\" \/><\/video><\/div>\n<p><em>An earlier version of this article said that Hegseth had been accused of rape. The charge was actually sexual assault. We apologize for this error.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This article was originally published in German.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has long been known for speaking bluntly.\u00a0As a commentator at the conservative US television network Fox News, he celebrated <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/us-president-donald-trump-russia-ukraine-israel-gaza-tariffs-trade-war\/t-19434433\">Donald Trump&#8217;s<\/a>\u00a0political instincts. This went down particularly well with Trump and the supporters of his <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/the-powers-driving-trumps-maga-movement\/a-75190840\">&#8220;Make America Great Again&#8221;\u00a0movement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth has meanwhile turned into the head of the US Army and, at Trump&#8217;s behest,\u00a0calls himself\u00a0the &#8220;<a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/us-trump-signs-order-renaming-pentagon-department-of-war\/a-73887300\">secretary of war<\/a>.&#8221; As a result, the world takes notice when he chooses words that skirt the boundaries of international law.<\/p>\n<p>In early March, he described the rules of engagement for US soldiers as &#8220;stupid&#8221; during a press conference on the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/us-israel-war-with-iran\/t-76168615\">war with Iran<\/a>, casting doubt on rules intended to prevent war crimes.<\/p>\n<p>In mid-March, he declared &#8220;no quarter, no mercy for our enemies&#8221; in Iran.<\/p>\n<p>In military terms, this means that even those who have surrendered will be killed, explains Jacqueline Hellman, an expert in international law at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.<\/p>\n<p>The statement &#8220;alludes to a practice that is expressly prohibited,&#8221; she told DW, adding that, as mere rhetoric, this is not punishable.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But, she explained, such a statement could be classified as a war crime if it is formulated as an order and results in corresponding actions by the armed forces.<\/p>\n<p>It is not the first time critics have linked Hegseth to war crimes. During the US military&#8217;s\u00a0attacks on suspected <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/us-urges-latin-america-to-use-military-force-against-drug-cartels\/a-76237257\">smuggling boats<\/a> from <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/venezuela\/t-38335048\">Venezuela<\/a>, it was alleged that Hegseth ordered that the strikes should be lethal. This led to accusations that controversial follow-up airstrikes on a boat in the Caribbean, which killed two survivors of an initial attack, came about because of that order. However, Hegseth has strongly denied issuing a kill order.\u00a0Admiral Frank &#8220;Mitch&#8221; Bradley also testified to lawmakers that he ordered the second strike himself and there was no &#8220;kill them all&#8221; order from Hegseth.<\/p>\n<p>Before Hegseth became defense secretary, he seemed\u00a0at odds with the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. In a <a rel=\"noopener follow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"external-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=DoN5ovwB8s4\" title=\"External link \u2014 2024 interview with podcast host\u00a0Shawn Ryan\">2024 interview with podcast host\u00a0Shawn Ryan<\/a>, a former Navy SEAL,\u00a0Hegseth\u00a0defended three former US soldiers who had been convicted of war crimes and pardoned by Trump in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve written rules that are impossible, that are written for our guys to be in handcuffs,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>His example was the rule that US soldiers may only shoot at armed, suspected enemies once they have taken aim at them. He said that during his deployment to Iraq in 2005, he had told his men,\u00a0&#8220;Guys, we&#8217;re not doing that.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"vjs-no-js\">To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that <a href=\"https:\/\/videojs.com\/html5-video-support\/\" target=\"_blank\">supports HTML5 video<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Pete Hegseth, born in 1980, grew up in a suburb of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area in Minnesota. After high school, he studied politics at the elite Princeton University, where he became a conservative voice on campus as editor of <em>The Princeton Tory<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>After graduating, he enlisted in the military in 2003. During his active duty, he served at the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/united-states-of-america\/t-19065189\">US<\/a> detention camp at <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/guantanamo-bay-prison-camp\/t-38214880\">Guantanamo Bay<\/a>\u00a0in Cuba, in <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/iraq\/t-19037666\">Iraq<\/a>\u00a0and in <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/afghanistan\/t-18932080\">Afghanistan<\/a>. He received several awards\u00a0and rose to the rank of major.<\/p>\n<p>In 2014, Hegseth transferred to the National Guard Reserve. At the same time, he began working at Fox News as a commentator and host, making him known to a wider audience.<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth increasingly presented himself as an experienced frontline soldier with a steeled body and an iron will to fight for conservative causes,\u00a0including appearing shirtless in social media posts and books such as &#8220;Modern Warriors&#8221; and &#8220;American Crusade.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Until 2024, Hegseth remained a reservist in the National Guard\u00a0but then left at his own request after comrades in his unit reported him as a possible <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/right-wing-extremism\/t-65755280\">extremist<\/a>. The reason for this was allegedly social media posts and his tattoos, as he said in his 2024 interview with Ryan.<\/p>\n<p>His chest bears the so-called Jerusalem Cross, first documented as a symbol of the Crusaders. His bicep bears the Latin inscription &#8220;Deus Vult&#8221; (English: God wills it), which was not only a battle cry of the Crusaders but is also popular in far-right circles.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to his identification with the Crusaders, his church membership also offers insight into his belief system.\u00a0Hegseth belongs to the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), a movement whose leader seeks to turn the US into a Christian theocracy.<\/p>\n<p>Once it became known that Trump intended to appoint Hegseth as secretary of defense, resistance emerged within the Republican Party. Even though many would have preferred a seasoned defense policy expert, Trump prevailed and stated, among other things,\u00a0&#8220;Pete is tough, smart\u00a0and a true believer in &#8216;America First&#8217;.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>For Trump, Hegseth&#8217;s loyalty seemed to matter more than his qualifications for the office, for Hegseth\u00a0had little political experience.\u00a0In 2012, he joined the Republican Party to run for the US\u00a0Senate in Minnesota\u00a0but withdrew his candidacy shortly thereafter. He established further political connections as president of the organization &#8220;Concerned Veterans of America.&#8221; However, when Trump considered him for the position of Secretary of Veterans Affairs in 2016, several veterans&#8217; organizations protested.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, Trump appointed Hegseth\u00a0to\u00a0his cabinet in 2025. Hegseth faced critical questioning during his confirmation hearing in the US Senate.<\/p>\n<p>Republican Senator Joni Ernst, herself an Iraq veteran, questioned him at length about his views on the role of women in the military. Hegseth had previously spoken out against women serving in combat roles and against diversity in the military. Before the Senate, he downplayed some of these positions but emphasized that military effectiveness was more important than equality policies.<\/p>\n<p>Added to this were doubts about his character.\u00a0A woman had dropped her allegations of sexual assault against Hegseth in 2017 following an out-of-court settlement. Hegseth\u00a0emphasized that the affair had been consensual\u00a0but described it as serious misconduct toward his wife at the time. Hegseth also denied allegations from different sides that he had a drinking problem.<\/p>\n<p>The decisive vote in the Senate ended in a tie: three Republicans had voted against him. However, Hegseth still became Secretary of Defense due to the support of Vice President <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/jd-vance\/t-70177094\">JD Vance<\/a>, whose tie-breaking vote is decisive in such cases.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, Hegseth has continued pursuing his plans to eliminate diversity from the US armed forces. Some observers view the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/hegseth-orders-20-cut-in-number-of-top-pentagon-officers\/a-72443265\">dismissal<\/a>\u00a0and demotion of several long-serving generals as part of this effort.<\/p>\n<p>In March 2025, he came under fire for <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/signal-group-chat-had-us-plans-for-yemen-attack\/a-72023690\">leaking classified information<\/a>, which he had apparently inadvertently disclosed in chats with journalists and other unauthorized individuals.<\/p>\n<p>In September 2025, he caused a stir when he summoned hundreds of US generals, some of whom were on active missions around the world, to a meeting alongside Trump at the Naval Base in Quantico, Virginia, to rally them to his course of action.<\/p>\n<p>In Hegseth&#8217;s own words, this means above all to &#8220;restore the warrior ethos.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"vjs-no-js\">To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that <a href=\"https:\/\/videojs.com\/html5-video-support\/\" target=\"_blank\">supports HTML5 video<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>An earlier version of this article said that Hegseth had been accused of rape. The charge was actually sexual assault. We apologize for this error.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This article was originally published in German.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/pete-hegseth-has-been-loyal-defense-secretary-for-trump\/a-76402519&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76356260_6.jpg&#8221;] https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5AZmh The role of US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was updated to &#8220;Secretary of War&#8221; by US President Donald TrumpImage: Brendan Smialowski\/AFP US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has long been known for speaking bluntly.\u00a0As a commentator at the conservative US television network Fox News, he celebrated Donald Trump&#8217;s\u00a0political instincts. This went [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,74],"class_list":["post-1836418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dw-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1836418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1836418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1836418\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1836418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1836418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1836418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}