If you’re looking for a name, it’s Pete Hegseth. He’s the guy. He has been the U.S. Secretary of Defense since he was sworn in on January 25, 2025. But if you’ve been watching the news lately, you might have noticed something kinda weird. People are calling him the Secretary of War.
That isn't a typo.
In a massive branding shift that happened back in September 2025, the Department of Defense actually reverted to its historical name: the Department of War. So, while everyone still searches for "who is sec of defense now," the official title on the door at the Pentagon is technically Secretary of War. It’s a bit of a throwback to the pre-1947 era, and it tells you basically everything you need to know about the current vibe in Washington.
The Man in the High Office
Pete Hegseth didn't take the traditional path to the E-Ring. Most people knew him as the guy on their TV screen every weekend on Fox & Friends. Before that, he was a Major in the Army National Guard. He’s got the pedigree—Princeton, Harvard, and deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay. He’s also got the ink. His tattoos, including a large Jerusalem Cross on his chest, became a huge talking point during his confirmation.
The confirmation itself was a nail-biter. Honestly, it was one of the tensest moments in recent political history. Vice President JD Vance had to show up to the Senate to cast a tie-breaking vote (51-50) to get him through. That makes Hegseth only the second Cabinet member ever to be confirmed by a VP tie-breaker.
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He’s young. At 45, he’s one of the youngest people to ever lead the military. Only Donald Rumsfeld, back in the 70s, held the job at a younger age.
What is he actually doing?
Hegseth’s mandate from President Trump was pretty straightforward: "Bring back the warrior culture." He’s been obsessed with "lethality" and "meritocracy." If you work at the Pentagon right now, your life has probably changed a lot in the last year. He immediately started gutting DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs and shifted that money into what he calls "hard-power" initiatives.
One of his first big moves was an 8% cut to the defense budget. That sounds counterintuitive for a "hawk," right? But his logic is that the Pentagon is bloated. He famously pointed out that the U.S. won World War II with seven four-star generals, while today we have 44. He wants fewer bureaucrats and more "warfighters" at the bottom.
Controversies and Group Chats
It hasn't been a smooth ride. Not even close.
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Hegseth has been under fire for a few things that would have ended most careers a decade ago. There was the "Signal leak"—a bunch of screenshots from a private group chat that supposedly showed high-level officials discussing policy in ways that weren't exactly "official."
Then there are the "boat strikes." In late 2025, Hegseth authorized lethal strikes on small civilian boats in the Caribbean. The administration says they were drug traffickers and terrorists. Critics say it’s a violation of international law. It’s a messy, ongoing debate that has Senator Mark Kelly (an astronaut and veteran himself) actually suing the Pentagon over some of these tactical shifts.
Recent Headlines from 2026
Just this past week, Hegseth was in the news for meeting with Japanese Defense Minister Shinjirō Koizumi. They didn't just sit in a boardroom with coffee. They actually did a physical training (PT) session with "The Old Guard" at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. It’s all part of that "warrior ethos" image he’s projected since day one.
He’s also been spending a lot of time with Elon Musk. They were recently spotted at SpaceX’s Starbase in Texas. Hegseth is pushing hard for AI, drones, and hypersonics. He basically told the press that the era of "peacetime science fairs" at the Pentagon is over. He wants a "wartime arms race" with China and Russia, and he wants it now.
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Why This Matters to You
So, why does it matter who is sec of defense now? Because the rules of the game are changing. Under Hegseth, the military is leaning into a "hard-nosed realism" approach. Here is what that looks like in practice:
- Focus on the Border: He’s moved significant resources to the southern border, treating immigration as a primary national security threat.
- Tech Overload: Expect more drones and AI-driven systems. He’s moving away from old-school, massive hardware toward "disruptive technologies."
- The "War" Name Change: This isn't just about a sign on a building. It signals a shift in mindset from "defending" to "winning."
Hegseth is also pushing for a leaner top-down structure. He’s looking at every single program and asking, "Does this help us win a war?" If the answer is no, he’s cutting it. That’s a massive shift from the way the Pentagon has operated for the last twenty years.
Navigating the New Pentagon
If you're trying to keep up with the changes at the Department of War, keep an eye on the fiscal year 2026 budget hearings. That’s where the real battles are happening. You’ll see Hegseth and General Dan Caine (the current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs) arguing for a military that looks more like a Silicon Valley startup and less like a traditional government agency.
To stay informed, you should track the official readouts from the war.gov website, which replaced the old defense.gov URL last year. Pay attention to the "memorandums of action" being released regarding AI integration. These documents are currently outlining how the U.S. plans to use autonomous systems in future conflicts, which is perhaps the most significant policy shift of the Hegseth era.
Monitoring the ongoing litigation from members of Congress like Senator Kelly will also provide a clearer picture of where the legal limits of these new policies might lie. The friction between the executive branch and the Senate over "warrior culture" mandates is likely to define the rest of 2026.
Key Takeaways for 2026:
- Current Secretary: Pete Hegseth (sworn in Jan 2025).
- Official Title: Secretary of War (since Sept 2025).
- Main Focus: Removing "woke" policies, cutting bureaucracy, and accelerating AI tech.
- Major Challenges: Legal battles over Caribbean strikes and internal fallout from leaked communications.