Pete Hegseth: who is the Pentagon chief who ordered the live-streamed execution?

But the Pentagon has gone a step further, announcing its intention to livestream the execution. Hegseth publicly backed the decision, stating that Americans should be able to see the consequences of a crime such as the one committed by Hasan. Reuters has found no previous instances of a lawful execution being broadcast live to the public.

The idea has also provoked strong reactions within the Republican camp. Vice-President JD Vance said he would not watch the live broadcast, whilst some senators from the party have called on the Pentagon to call it off. Trump, whilst having approved the execution, has left the question of the broadcast open.

The reshuffle at the top began a few weeks after the new administration took office. In February 2025, Trump dismissed the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General CQ Brown Jr. Shortly afterwards, Hegseth sacked Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to lead the US Navy, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force James Slife, and the chief legal officers of the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Hegseth explained that he did not consider senior legal officials to be sufficiently qualified to provide advice on the execution of ‘lawful orders’. The dismissals fuelled fears of a politicisation of the military leadership and prompted five former Secretaries of Defence, both Republicans and Democrats, to call for congressional hearings.

The strategy continued with a structural reduction in the highest ranks. In May 2025, Hegseth had ordered a 20 per cent cut in the number of four-star generals and admirals, a 20 per cent cut in the number of National Guard generals, and a reduction of at least 10 per cent in the total number of general officers.

In September 2026, he raised the bar even further: the target became a 20 per cent reduction in all general and admiral posts, through the elimination or downgrading of certain positions. Hegseth believes that a structure with fewer senior leaders should be more agile and accountable.

One of the most controversial incidents was a decision taken a few weeks after Trump’s return to the White House. In early February 2025, according to a Reuters report, Hegseth ordered the diversion of 11 US military flights carrying weapons destined for Ukraine.

The decision took White House and national security officials by surprise. Trump had discussed policy towards Kyiv with his advisers, including Hegseth, but according to sources cited by Reuters, he had not ordered a halt to supplies.

Flights resumed within a few days. The disruption caused confusion even amongst the allies and within the Ukrainian authorities, and cost the US transport command up to 2.2 million dollars. Some sources told Reuters that Hegseth had misinterpreted internal discussions within the administration.

Another issue concerns transgender service personnel. In this case, the original policy decision was made by Donald Trump, who ordered that their presence in the armed forces be banned or restricted. However, the Pentagon, led by Hegseth, drew up and implemented the new rules.

The directive excludes from service, subject to limited exceptions, people with a diagnosis or history of gender dysphoria and those who have undergone gender transition. In May 2025, the Supreme Court allowed the administration to implement the policy whilst legal challenges were ongoing. The measure paved the way for the discharge of service personnel already on active duty and a freeze on new recruits. At the time, the Pentagon recorded 4,240 transgender service personnel across active duty and the National Guard.

At the same time, Hegseth stipulated that, for combat roles, the physical requirements should be the same for men and women and determined by operational needs. Several branches were already applying common criteria, but the measure necessitated a general review of the standards.

One of the most systematic measures concerned diversity, equity and inclusion policies, which were gradually phased out by the Pentagon in line with the direction set by the new administration.

The review also affected military schools and libraries. At the Naval Academy in Annapolis, nearly 400 books were removed following a review of content relating to race, gender and diversity. Similar reviews have taken place in schools run by the Department of Defence, leading to legal challenges from pupils and their families.

Hegseth also criticised the Women, Peace & Security programme, which was established by a bipartisan law passed in 2017 and signed by Trump himself during his first term. The programme aims to increase the involvement of women in security policies and peacebuilding missions.

Hegseth described it as a “woke” programme and announced his intention to scrap it at the Pentagon, whilst acknowledging that the administration must continue to meet the minimum obligations imposed by the legislation passed by Parliament.

In February 2026, Hegseth opened another front against the academic world. The Pentagon has decided to discontinue, with effect from the 2026–27 academic year, its Professional Military Education programmes, fellowships and certification schemes with Harvard, the university where Hegseth himself was once a student.

The Secretary of Defence has accused Harvard of having become a hub for activism hostile to the United States and the armed forces. Military personnel already enrolled will be allowed to complete their courses, but no new personnel will be sent there. The Pentagon has since extended the review of its relationships to other prestigious universities.

The move forms part of the Trump administration’s wider clash with American universities over pro-Palestinian protests, DEI programmes, transgender policies and academic freedom.

Hegseth has also changed the relationship between the Ministry of Defence and the press. Since May 2025, accredited journalists have no longer been allowed to move freely throughout most of the Pentagon and must be accompanied by authorised staff.

The secretary justified the restrictions on the grounds of the need to protect classified information and operational security. The Pentagon Press Association, however, denounced the move as an attack on a decades-long tradition of journalists’ access to non-restricted areas of the building.

The crackdown had been preceded by the decision to have certain major traditional media outlets vacate their offices as part of a new rotation scheme, which had also made room for media outlets closer to the administration.

In 2026, the issue of transparency also came to the attention of Congress. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, claimed that the Pentagon had denied him access to the US base at Al Udeid in Qatar. A department official cited a directive signed by Hegseth on 3 March restricting travel to the area.

At the end of September 2026, Hegseth established a new Office of Religious Affairs within the Pentagon, which reports directly to the Secretary of Defence.

The stated aim is to strengthen religious support for the armed forces and the role of chaplains. The Associated Press has described the decision as part of a wider drive to increase the presence of religion in the life of the Pentagon, spearheaded by Hegseth, an evangelical Christian, who has organised Christian services for staff and made frequent biblical references in his speeches.

The Pentagon insists that the new office will not favour any particular faith. Organisations that champion the separation of church and state, however, fear that the new rules may give preferential treatment to Christianity.

The transformation sought by Hegseth is not limited to internal organisation. In June 2026, the Secretary of Defence announced a six-month review of the US military presence in Europe, whilst the Trump administration is calling on NATO allies to shoulder a greater share of their own security.

The Pentagon is examining various options regarding the deployment of the approximately 80,000 US troops stationed in Europe, including possible reductions, with the aim of presenting the alternatives to Hegseth by November. The review covers bases, access and overflight rights, cyber, space and intelligence, and has fuelled European concerns about the future of the US military commitment on the continent.