## Summary

Pete Hegseth was confirmed as U.S. Secretary of Defense on January 25, 2025, on a tie-breaking vote by Vice President JD Vance — the first Cabinet confirmation requiring a VP tiebreak in modern history, reflecting deep bipartisan concern about his qualifications. He is the first former cable news host to lead the Pentagon. Hegseth, who has publicly embraced the title “Secretary of War,” has overseen an unprecedented expansion of lethal military operations: 22+ documented strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific (Operation Southern Spear, September 2025–ongoing), a military buildup targeting Venezuela culminating in a U.S. intervention attempt to capture President Nicolás Maduro, and co-directing the February 28, 2026 U.S.-Israel joint war on Iran (Operation Epic Fury) — a campaign that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei but also killed approximately 170 civilians when a missile struck a girls’ school near Bandar Abbas. Multiple congressional letters have demanded accountability for civilian casualties. Hegseth has publicly claimed Trump does not need War Powers Act authorization for the Iran strikes even after the statutory 60-day limit passed. He disclosed precise operational details — including F/A-18 launch times and bomb drop windows for Yemen strikes — in two unauthorized Signal chats: one that accidentally included a journalist, and a second with his wife, brother, and personal lawyer. A former Pentagon official told NPR the Signal disclosures “look like they actually broke the law.” Hegseth has also fired the Army Chief of Staff, denied promotions to qualified officers, purged DEI programs across the military, and placed Pentagon public affairs under political pre-approval control.

## Documented Actions

### Operation Southern Spear — Boat Strikes (Caribbean & Eastern Pacific)

In September 2025, Hegseth launched Operation Southern Spear through U.S. Southern Command, authorizing lethal military strikes on small boats in the Caribbean Sea and later the Eastern Pacific. The Trump administration characterized the targeted individuals as “narco-terrorists” affiliated with cartels including Tren de Aragua. Key documented facts:

– First strike: September 2, 2025 — USS Sampson (DDG 102) deployed to the Caribbean; first lethal strikes authorized

– Scale: By December 5, 2025, the 22nd strike had been carried out; the NYT tracked all publicly known strikes in a dedicated tracker

– October 27, 2025: Hegseth personally posted video on X of four boats being struck by missiles in the Eastern Pacific, killing 14 people (1 survivor)

– October 24, 2025 (10th strike): Hegseth wrote: “If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat al-Qaeda. Day or NIGHT, we will map your networks, track your people, hunt you down, and kill you.”

– Intelligence conflict: Trump administration’s claim that boats belonged to Tren de Aragua (which it designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization) was reportedly at odds with a U.S. intelligence assessment

– UN condemnation: The United Nations stated the strikes violate international law

– Human rights assessment: The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) characterized the strikes as “extrajudicial executions,” stating: “The result is alarming: extrajudicial executions conducted by the U.S. military seem to be evolving into business as usual”

– Venezuela escalation: By late December 2025, the operation expanded to strikes inside Venezuelan territory; the U.S. deployed the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier strike group to the Caribbean in October 2025 to support the campaign

– Due process: No judicial review, no formal designation process for individual strike targets, no public accounting of identities of those killed

### Venezuela Intervention

Building on Operation Southern Spear, the Trump-Hegseth administration pursued regime change against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro:

– August 2025: U.S. military buildup in the southern Caribbean with warships and personnel

– CIA deployed a team into Venezuela tracking Maduro’s movements using a source close to the president

– Delta Force and other special operations units reportedly rehearsed a capture operation using a mockup of Maduro’s safe house

– By end of November 2025, the Cartel of the Suns (which the U.S. alleges is headed by Maduro) was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization

– The campaign escalated into a documented U.S. military intervention in Venezuela in 2026

### Operation Epic Fury — US-Israel War on Iran

On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel jointly launched Operation Epic Fury — nearly 900 strikes in 12 hours targeting Iranian missiles, air defenses, military infrastructure, and leadership:

– The coordinated strikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and dozens of other officials

– A missile struck a girls’ school adjacent to a naval base in Minab, near Bandar Abbas, killing approximately 170 people — a military investigation later determined U.S. forces were responsible

– Iran launched counter-strikes against Israel, U.S. military bases in the region, and military/civilian locations in Arab states housing U.S. forces; UK bases in Bahrain were also affected

– A conditional ceasefire was declared on April 8, 2026; talks mediated by Pakistan

– Hegseth held a Pentagon press briefing on March 31, 2026 stating the U.S. aims for a deal with Iran but is ready to “intensify strikes if talks fail”

– War Powers Act: After the statutory 60-day limit requiring congressional authorization, Hegseth publicly claimed Trump “doesn’t need Congress to restart Iran strikes” — a direct challenge to the War Powers Resolution

– Congressional accountability: Senator Maria Cantwell and 45 Senate colleagues sent a letter to Hegseth on March 11, 2026 demanding answers and accountability for civilian casualties; Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-MI) also wrote demanding “immediate transparency” on the girls’ school strike

– As of May 2026: hostilities with Iran formally paused under ceasefire; Hegseth still in office

### Signal Chat Disclosures — Yemen Strike War Plans

– March 11, 2025: National Security Adviser Michael Waltz created a Signal group chat (“Houthi PC small group”) including Hegseth, Vance, Rubio, Gabbard, Bessent, Ratcliffe, Miller, and others to coordinate Yemen strikes — Waltz accidentally added Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg

– Hegseth sent messages in the chat with precise operational details: “Weather is FAVORABLE. Just CONFIRMED w/CENTCOM we are a GO for mission launch” — including exact F/A-18 launch times and bomb drop windows before pilots were airborne

– Hegseth initially denied sharing “war plans”; The Atlantic published the full chat, contradicting that denial; Trump called it “not classified” but later walked back

– CNN sources confirmed the shared information “was classified”; a former Pentagon official told NPR: “It looks like they actually broke the law”

– Second Signal chat: Separately, Hegseth set up a Signal group including his wife Jennifer Hegseth (no DoD role), his brother Phil Hegseth (DHS official detailed to DoD), and his personal attorney Tim Parlatore — and shared the same Yemen strike details, including F/A-18 flight schedules

– Pentagon spokesman defended the second chat; Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker stated he and the ranking Democrat would review the matter

### Military Purges and Institutional Dismantling

– Fired General Randy George, Army Chief of Staff — basis publicly contested; congressional members pressed Hegseth on whether any legitimate national security or leadership concern existed

– Denied promotions to four qualified officers seeking Brigadier General rank

– Eliminated DEI programs across the military; multiple reports of officers and civil servants removed, reassigned, or constructively forced out

– March 9, 2026: Imposed rule requiring Secretary’s public affairs office pre-approval before any Pentagon public affairs publication — described by Harvard Political Review as “Hegseth’s War on Accountability”

– Pentagon described internally as in “disarray” by officials and defense analysts