If you haven’t checked the news since 2024, the person running the Pentagon might come as a bit of a shock. It’s not a retired four-star general with forty years of bureaucracy under his belt. It’s Pete Hegseth.
Honestly, the "who is the secretary of defense for the united states" question used to have a predictable answer. You’d usually find someone like Lloyd Austin or Jim Mattis—names synonymous with the highest rungs of the military establishment. But things shifted. Fast.
The Current Man in Charge
Right now, Pete Hegseth is the 29th Secretary of Defense. He was sworn in on January 25, 2025, after a pretty narrow 51-50 Senate confirmation that mostly split along party lines. If you're looking for him on official government websites today, you might notice something weird. The "Department of Defense" often redirects to the Department of War.
That wasn't a typo. On September 5, 2025, the department’s name was officially reverted to its historical pre-1947 title. Hegseth isn't just a placeholder; he’s essentially the face of a massive structural overhaul in how America views its military.
He’s 45 years old. Younger than most of his predecessors. He’s a Princeton and Harvard grad, sure, but his "street cred" comes from being an infantry officer in the Army National Guard. He’s got two Bronze Stars and served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay. Before this, you probably saw him on Fox News on the weekends.
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Why This Choice Was Such a Big Deal
People were worried. Critics said he lacked the "depth" to manage 3.5 million service members and civilians. They pointed to his past comments about women in combat roles and his skepticism of the "woke" military culture as red flags.
But for the current administration, that was exactly the point.
Hegseth’s primary mission? To "bring the warrior culture back." Basically, he was hired to be a "change agent." His first year has been a whirlwind of cutting what he calls "the fat" at the top. He’s famously pointed out that while we won World War II with seven four-star generals, we had 44 by the time he took office. He wants that number down.
What the Secretary of Defense Actually Does Now
The job isn't just about sitting in a big office in the Pentagon (Room 3E970, if you’re curious). It’s about managing the Warfighting Acquisition System.
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In late 2025, Hegseth signed a memo that basically blew up how the military buys things. He eliminated "Program Executive Officers" and replaced them with "Portfolio Acquisition Executives." It sounds like corporate jargon, but it’s a huge shift toward speed. They’re moving away from 20-year development cycles for a single jet and toward "plug-and-play" commercial tech.
He’s also been physically leading the charge—literally. Just this week, in January 2026, he was spotted doing a high-intensity workout with the Japanese Defense Minister at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. It’s a very different vibe from the quiet, dignified leadership of Lloyd Austin. It’s aggressive. It’s loud. It’s focused on "lethality."
The "Secretary of War" Transition
A lot of folks get confused by the name change. For nearly 80 years, it was the Department of Defense. Hegseth argued that "Defense" sounds passive. He wanted "War" because it’s "honest about the mission."
While the name change was mostly symbolic, the policy changes aren't. Under his 2025 Army Transformation Initiative, he’s been deactivating older units at places like Fort Hood and Fort Bragg to make room for "drone swarms" and AI-driven command centers.
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Misconceptions You Should Know
- He’s just a TV guy: While he was a host on Fox & Friends, he spent years advocating for veterans through organizations like Concerned Veterans for America. He’s written five books on military culture.
- The role is purely military: It’s actually a civilian post. That’s a law in the U.S.—the Secretary must be a civilian to ensure the military stays under the control of the people, not just the generals.
- He’s acting alone: He works closely with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, currently Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, and his Deputy Secretary, Steve Feinberg.
How This Affects You
If you’re a contractor, the rules for "who is the secretary of defense for the united states" matter because of how the money flows. Hegseth has prioritized "Other Transaction Authorities" (OTAs). This means the government can bypass the slow, traditional bidding process to buy cool tech from startups faster.
If you're in the service, it means a shift back to "meritocracy" and away from some of the diversity initiatives that were standard under the previous administration. Whether you like him or hate him, Hegseth has arguably become one of the most powerful and disruptive Secretaries in modern history.
Next Steps for Staying Informed:
- Monitor the FY 2026 NDAA: Keep an eye on how the National Defense Authorization Act is being implemented, specifically the "SPEED Act" provisions which are currently overhauling military procurement.
- Track the "Department of War" Rebranding: Watch for updates on official federal digital infrastructure as the department continues its transition from "Defense" to "War" branding across all branches.
- Watch the Drone Integration: Follow the rollout of C-sUAS (Counter-Small Unmanned Aerial Systems) into maneuver platoons, which is a key milestone on Hegseth's 2026 transformation timeline.