Arlington, Virginia - A US soldier reprimanded Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and a group of his advisers at a memorial on Wednesday following a Veterans Day ceremony.
Laughter could be heard from the group, which included Hegseth, his wife, and several advisers, as they walked away after posing for a photo at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
A guard then loudly reprimanded the group, as seen in footage captured by CNN as part of the White House television press pool.
"All visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times," the guard said.
To mark Veterans Day, which honors all military veterans who have served in the US Armed Forces, Hegseth, President Donald Trump, and other government officials attended the ceremony held at Arlington National Cemetery.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier marks the final resting place of an unknown soldier who was killed in World War I. A soldier assigned to The Old Guard, or 3rd Infantry Regiment, has guarded the tomb around the clock since 1948.
Hegseth has faced mounting pressure since the Republicans' heavy defeat in the midterm elections. On Tuesday, House Republicans blocked a bid to impeach him over the Iran war.