Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Pete Hegseth
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Pete Hegseth made an impact.
Peter Brian Hegseth is an American government official and former television personality. He has served as the 29th United States secretary of defense since 2025. This indicates a career shift from media to a high-ranking position in the U.S. government.
5 hours ago : Pete Hegseth claims Trump finishing war that US didn't start, sparking debate.
Pete Hegseth stated that under President Trump, the US is concluding a war they didn't initiate. This statement, made during live US politics updates, ignited discussions regarding Trump's war powers and US-Iran relations.
2003: Commissioned as Second Lieutenant
After graduating from Princeton in 2003, Hegseth was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army through the university's Reserve Officers' Training Corps program and briefly worked as an equity-markets analyst at Bear Stearns.
2003: Commissioned as Infantry Officer
In 2003, Hegseth was commissioned as an infantry officer in the Minnesota Army National Guard.
2004: Basic Training at Fort Benning
In 2004, Hegseth completed his basic training at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia, and for 11 months he was a Minnesota Army National Guardsman at Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
August 2006: Began Working at Manhattan Institute
By August 2006, Hegseth moved to Manhattan and began working at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, where he met a marine who was working for Vets for Freedom, a political advocacy organization.
May 2007: Appeared at Fundraiser for John McCain
In May 2007, Hegseth appeared at a presidential campaign fundraiser for John McCain.
2008: Vets for Freedom Supported McCain
In the months leading up to the 2008 United States presidential election, Vets for Freedom began supporting McCain. As the group's chairman, he criticized Democratic nominee Barack Obama for supporting "a dangerous policy of irreversible withdrawal."
January 2009: Vets for Freedom accrued Unpaid Bills
By January 2009, Vets for Freedom had accrued hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid bills, leading to an internal campaign to oust Hegseth.
November 2009: Hegseth Supports Additional Forces in Afghanistan
In November 2009, during the War in Afghanistan, Hegseth supported sending additional forces into Afghanistan.
2010: Deployed as Counterinsurgency Instructor
In 2010, Hegseth deployed with the Minnesota Army National Guard as a counterinsurgency instructor in Kabul, Afghanistan.
2011: Removed from Leadership
In 2011, Vets for Freedom merged with Military Families United, and Hegseth was removed from leadership.
February 2012: Entered Republican Primary for US Senate
In February 2012, Hegseth decided to enter the Republican primary for the United States Senate election in Minnesota and had selected a campaign manager, Anne Neu Brindley.
March 2012: Hegseth Advocates for Premium Support in Medicare
In a March 2012 interview with National Review, Hegseth advocated for premium support in Medicare, opposed contraception mandates, and described the Keystone Pipeline as a choice between jobs and environmental impact.
June 2014: Joined Fox News as Contributor
In June 2014, Hegseth was given a position as a regular contributor to Fox News by the network's executive, Roger Ailes.
2014: Criticized Obama for VA Controversy
Hegseth began working as president of Concerned Veterans of America that year. The group criticized Obama for the 2014 Veterans Health Administration controversy.
2014: Became Fox News Contributor
In 2014, Hegseth became a contributor to Fox News.
2014: Promoted to Major
In 2014, after completing his tour, Hegseth was promoted to major and assigned to the Individual Ready Reserve.
January 2016: Left Concerned Veterans for America
In January 2016, Hegseth left Concerned Veterans for America after allegations of financial mismanagement and alcoholism.
2016: Description of Christian faith in 'In the Arena'
In 2016, Hegseth described his Christian faith as initially "more out of diligent habit than deep conviction" in his book "In the Arena". He also expressed a hatred for Islamic terrorism following the September 11 attacks and criticized the focus on peace and mutual understanding at Princeton University.
2016: Advisor to President Trump
In 2016, Hegseth served as an advisor to President Donald Trump after supporting his campaign.
2016: Publication of 'In the Arena'
In 2016, Pete Hegseth published his memoir, "In the Arena: Good Citizens, a Great Republic, and How One Speech Can Reinvigorate America".
2016: Hegseth Endorses Donald Trump
In 2016, after initially supporting Marco Rubio and later favoring Ted Cruz, Hegseth endorsed Donald Trump for president. Also in 2016 on Fox News, Hegseth criticized Hillary Clinton for her email controversy, stating that her "recklessness in handling information" would usually lead to job firings and potential criminal charges, while also risking foreign access to sensitive information and harming relationships with allies.
2016: Hosted Fox & Friends Weekend and TheBlaze
In 2016, he was briefly a host on TheBlaze before regularly hosting Fox & Friends Weekend that year after Ailes's resignation.
January 2017: Official Co-Host of Fox & Friends Weekend
In January 2017, Hegseth became an official co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend.
2017: Co-hosted Fox & Friends Weekend
From 2017 to 2024, Hegseth co-hosted Fox & Friends Weekend.
2017: Writing the foreword to 'The Case Against the Establishment'
In 2017, Pete Hegseth wrote the foreword to "The Case Against the Establishment", a book written by Nick Adams and Dave Erickson.
2017: DeVos Confirmation
In November 2024, Hegseth's confirmation was only the second time in US history that a Cabinet nominee's confirmation was decided by a vice president, following Betsy DeVos during the first Trump administration in 2017.
March 2018: Sought Secretary of Veterans Affairs Position
After Shulkin fell out of favor with the Trump administration in March 2018, Hegseth positioned himself as a potential candidate for Secretary of Veterans Affairs, but Trump selected Robert Wilkie after consulting Hegseth and financier Isaac Perlmutter.
October 2018: Trump repeated Hegseth claim about Migrant Caravan
In October 2018, Trump claimed that "unknown Middle Easterners" had infiltrated the migrant caravan based on a comment Hegseth had made on Fox & Friends, though Hegseth said he had not verified his statement's accuracy.
2018: Hosted All-American New Year
In 2018, Hegseth hosted All-American New Year with commentator Lisa Kennedy.
June 2019: Joined DC Army National Guard
In June 2019, through the reserve, Hegseth joined the District of Columbia Army National Guard as a traditional drilling service member.
August 2019: Trump Repeats Hegseth claim about video games
In August 2019, Trump repeated claims Hegseth had made correlating video games with mass shootings after two mass shootings in El Paso and in Dayton.
2019: Hosted Battle in the Holy Land and Battle in Bethlehem
From 2019–2023, On Fox Nation, Hegseth hosted the series Battle in the Holy Land. He also hosted the special Battle in Bethlehem (2019), on the service.
May 2020: Release of 'American Crusade'
In May 2020, Pete Hegseth released his book, "American Crusade: Our Fight to Stay Free".
2020: Hegseth defends Trumps policies.
In 2020, Hegseth defended Trump's policies including his interactions with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, and the assassination of Qasem Soleimani.
2020: Published American Crusade
In 2020, Hegseth wrote the book "American Crusade".
March 2021: Left Duty at Biden Inauguration
In March 2021, Hegseth remained in duty until March 2021. He was barred from serving on duty at the inauguration of Joe Biden after a guardsman flagged Hegseth as an "insider threat", noting a tattoo on his biceps of the words Deus vult.
2021: Hegseth Defends Trump's Troop Withdrawal from Afghanistan
In 2021, Hegseth defended Donald Trump's policies, including the 2020-2021 US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
2022: Hosted The Miseducation of America and The Life of Jesus
From 2022–2023, On Fox Nation, Hegseth hosted The Miseducation of America, a television program criticizing "the Left's educational agenda". He also hosted the series The Life of Jesus.
2022: Co-authoring 'Battle for the American Mind'
In 2022, Pete Hegseth co-authored "Battle for the American Mind: Uprooting a Century of Miseducation" with David Goodwin.
2023: Hosted The Miseducation of America and Battle in the Holy Land
From 2022–2023, On Fox Nation, Hegseth hosted The Miseducation of America, a television program criticizing "the Left's educational agenda". He also hosted the series Battle in the Holy Land from 2019-2023.
January 2024: Resigned from Individual Ready Reserve
In January 2024, Hegseth left the Individual Ready Reserve, writing in his book The War on Warriors (2024) that he resigned over the incident.
June 2024: Publication of 'The War on Warriors'
In June 2024, Pete Hegseth published "The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free".
November 12, 2024: Trump Nominates Hegseth for Secretary of Defense
On November 12, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Pete Hegseth as his Secretary of Defense, after Tom Cotton declined the position. Hegseth subsequently ended his contract with Fox News. Trump's transition team became aware of a sexual assault allegation involving Hegseth.
November 2024: Nominated for Secretary of Defense
In November 2024, President-elect Trump nominated Hegseth as his nominee for Secretary of Defense. Later that month, Hegseth was confirmed by the Senate with Vice President JD Vance casting a tie-breaking vote.
2024: Published The War on Warriors
In 2024, Hegseth published the book "The War on Warriors".
2024: Pulled from mission due to tattoo concerns
In 2024, Pete Hegseth said that concerns over his Jerusalem cross tattoo caused the District of Columbia National Guard to pull him from a mission to guard the inauguration of President Joe Biden and helped spur him to retire from the military.
2025: Appointed Secretary of Defense
In 2025, Hegseth began serving as the 29th United States Secretary of Defense.
January 2026: Pentagon Uses Claude AI to Capture Maduro
In January 2026, the Pentagon utilized Claude AI during an operation to capture Nicolas Maduro.
February 2026: Defense Department to Eliminate Programs at Harvard
In February 2026, Sec. Hegseth announced the Defense Department would eliminate graduate-level professional military training, fellowships, and certificate programs at Harvard University starting in the fall of 2026, citing the institution's "anti-military bias." The department also planned to investigate other universities, listing 33 colleges and universities including Princeton, Duke, Columbia, and Carnegie Mellon.
February 2026: Defense Department Threatens Anthropic over AI Restrictions
In February 2026, the Defense Secretary threatened Anthropic, owner of Claude AI, the only AI authorized by the Department of Defense, to designate the company a supply chain risk. This action was a consequence of Anthropic's restrictions on the use of its AI by the Defense Department. Other companies were close to being approved for use, including Grok, OpenAI and Google.
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