Pete Hegseth

Rubio says US plan for Venezuela is stability, recovery, then transition

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US plans to stabilize Venezuela, secure access for US oil companies, and oversee a political transition, drawing sharp Democratic criticism.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (L) speak following a closed door Senate meeting on the US capture of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, and his wife Cilia Flores, January 7, 2026.
US President Donald Trump with US officials in the war room as the US conducts an operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3, 2026.

Trump's internal shifts in the US: How peace through strength restored global stability - opinion

US President Donald Trump is seen at a meeting in the White House earlier this month. The president wants to be visibly anti-intellectual, the writer says.

Donald Trump’s contempt for logic could end in devastation for the United States - opinion

US soldiers attached to the Iowa National Guard sign GBU-31 munitions systems in the US Central Command area of responsibility December 18, 2025 as the US military launched large-scale strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria in retaliation for an attack on US personnel.

US, Jordanian forces conduct joint strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria, Hegseth confirms


Jewish Caucus calls for Pentagon accountability over Kingsley Wilson's antisemitic remarks

"The remarks are not isolated or ambiguous and have long been associated with violence and hate," the letter read.

 Kingsley WIlson was recently appointed as deputy press secretary at the Pentagon.

Trump says nothing taken out of Iran's nuclear site, Europeans believe enriched uranium intact

A report from the Financial Times wrote that European leaders said they believe Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpile remains largely intact.

 US President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands June 25, 2025.

Trump 'destroyed Iran’s nuclear capabilities' in Operation Midnight Hammer, Hegseth says

The Pentagon held a news conference to directly respond to a US Defense Intelligence Agency report that suggested that Iran's nuclear program was only set back a few months.

 U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth holds a briefing at the Pentagon, after the U.S. struck Iranian nuclear facilities, during the Israel-Iran conflict, in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., June 22, 2025

What does it mean for future talks if Iran's nuclear ambitions are destroyed? - analysis

With Iran's nuclear program hit by airstrikes, it's in the interest of both Israel and the US to portray the strikes as successful.

 Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and US President Donald Trump (illustrative)

US strikes may have set back Iran nuclear program only months, sources say

The classified assessment is at odds with the statements from Trump and high-ranking US officials, who say US strikes essentially eliminated Iran's nuclear program.

 A satellite image shows the Fordow nuclear facility in Iran in this handout image dated June 14, 2025

Decoys, stealth, bunker busters: How US bombed Iran's nuclear sites

According to Hegseth, all of the precision munitions struck what they wanted to strike and they believe the strike achieved the destruction of the two facilities.

(Illustrative) US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth over a backdrop of damage done to Iran's nuclear site at Fordow.

Netanyahu, IDF chief lead meeting with top US officials as Trump mulls attack on Iran - exclusive

The meeting took place as the US was deliberating whether to join Israel in strikes against Iran.

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accompanied by U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and U.S. National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, speaks during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on April 7, 2025 in Washington, DC.

US bolsters Trump's Middle East military options by moving refueling aircraft, officials say

The officials also said the US aircraft carrier Nimitz was heading to the Middle East, in what one of them said was a pre-planned deployment.

US President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attend a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, April 10, 2025

Trump lands in Riyadh: Israel-Saudi ties expected to take a backseat

Accompanied by prominent American business leaders, Trump will visit Riyadh first, the site of the Saudi-US Investment Forum.

 U.S. President Donald Trump arrives at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 13, 2025, in this screen grab obtained from a Reuters video.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth cancels scheduled visit to Israel, sources tells the 'Post'

Hegseth will still travel with Trump to Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries, including Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. 

 US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth looks on, as President Donald Trump delivers remarks, in the Oval Office at the White House, in Washington, US, March 21, 2025.