Hegseth dons fatigues and assault rifle during "day in the office" with US military
Washington DC - Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth dressed up as a brutish army dude in full fatigues and wielding an assault rifle in a bizarre post on social media.
"A day in the office [with] America's finest," Hegseth wrote on X alongside a collection of photographs of himself showing off in full military gear at a Florida-based US Special Operations Command.
The Department of Defense, which President Donald Trump recently rebranded as the Department of War in an order designating it as a secondary name, also shared the pictures alongside text boasting about the military.
"Secretary of War Pete Hegseth joined our service members assigned to elements of USSOCOM," the post read. "America has the STRONGEST warfighters in the world. Always ready. Always prepared."
Hegseth, a MAGA-supporting former Fox News host, often touts his military service as one of his biggest achievements, as well as a key reason why he got the job.
He served as an infantry officer in the Army National Guard and was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. He also served a stint at the notorious Guantánamo Bay prison, known for its use of controversial "enhanced interrogation" torture techniques on its inmates.
Just last week, Hegseth rattled the military's top brass with an authoritarian speech in which he railed against "dudes in dresses" and touted the lethality of the US armed forces.
"You're trained, you're prepared, you're ready, and you're lethal," he said. "And the American people are counting on you to ensure the American homeland is kept safe."
Cover photo: IMAGO/NurPhoto