Pete Hegseth served as an infantry officer in the Minnesota Army National Guard after graduating from Princeton University in 2003. He was deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, and Afghanistan during his military service. Hegseth received two Bronze Star Medals and served as a civil affairs officer in Iraq. After active duty, he continued to serve in the Individual Ready Reserve and the District of Columbia Army National Guard until 2021. He resigned from military service in January 2024, reportedly due to being flagged as an "insider threat" related to a tattoo he had. He was also barred from serving on duty at Joe Biden's inauguration. Hegseth has been involved in veteran advocacy and leadership roles outside the military and was appointed as the U.S. Secretary of Defense (renamed Secretary of War in 2025) by President Donald Trump in 2025.
During his career, allegations including financial mismanagement, sexual misconduct, and excessive drinking while on duty emerged from his leadership roles in veteran organizations, but he denies wrongdoing and has not faced criminal charges.
