Secretary of War Pete Hegseth

If you can build fast and deliver at speed—the Department of War is ready to do business. wsj.com/business/defen…

Under the previous administration, the Department of Defense’s financial reporting was a disaster — and had been for far too long. That ends today—the WAR DEPARTMENT will deliver a clean audit for our 2028 financial statements.

Joined my friend @KidRock — and some of our great @USArmy Apache pilots — for a ride this morning. (More to come on that!) Kid Rock is a patriot and huge supporter of our troops. The War Department is wasting no time celebrating America’s 250th — home of the free because of the brave.

JUST ANNOUNCED: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is set to speak at Rededicate 250. May 17 • 8 AM ET • National Mall Join Americans from every state to give thanks for 250 years, pray for the future, and rededicate our nation as One Nation under God. RSVP for this once-in-a-lifetime moment! 🇺🇸

The War Department is once again restoring freedom to our Joint Force. We are discarding the mandatory flu vaccine requirement, effective immediately.

I welcomed ten American Olympians—who also wear the uniform—to the Pentagon today. They represent the very best of our nation.

STATEMENT: The Afghanistan Withdrawal Special Review Panel has completed the substantive phase of its interviews with senior military and civilian leaders.
 
This Panel was established by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at the direction of President Donald J. Trump to conduct the most comprehensive military after action review in modern history. We have now interviewed key figures involved in the planning and execution of the withdrawal, including: ▪General David H. Berger, USMC (Ret.), former Commandant of the Marine Corps; ▪General Christopher T. Donahue, USA, former Commanding General of the 82nd Airborne Division, current commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa; ▪General Alexus G. Grynkewich, USAF, former U.S. Central Command Operations Officer, current Supreme Allied Commander of Europe; ▪General Kenneth F. McKenzie, Jr., USMC (Ret.), former Commander, U.S. Central Command; ▪General Austin S. Miller, USA (Ret.), former Commander, U.S. Forces–Afghanistan and NATO Resolute Support Mission; ▪General Mark A. Milley, USA (Ret.), former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; ▪General James J. Mingus, USA (Ret.), former Joint Chiefs Director of Operations; ▪Lieutenant General Carl E. Mundy, III, USMC (Ret.), former MARCENT Commander; ▪Lieutenant General Paul J. Rock, Jr., former MARCENT Commander, current Director of the Marine Corps Staff; ▪Lieutenant General Ricky L. Waddell, USA (Ret.), former Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Senior Military Advisor to the Secretary of State; ▪Rear Admiral Peter G. Vasely (Ret.), USN, former Commander, U.S. Forces Afghanistan – Forward at HKIA; ▪Major General Julian C. Cheater, USAF, former Over the Horizon-Counter Terrorism Operations (OTH-CT) Commander, current Director of Strategy, Policy and Plans, U.S. Southern Command; ▪Major General Derek J. O'Malley, USAF, former Commander 455th AEW, former Commander of Bagram Airfield, current Director of the Department of War Special Access Program Central Office; ▪Major General Farrell J. Sullivan, USMC, former commander of Joint Task Force–Crisis Response (JTF-CR), current Commanding General, 2nd Marine Division; and dozens of other senior officers and officials and interagency partners. In addition to these interviews, the Panel has reviewed more than NINE MILLION documents drawn from multiple agencies and prior Department of Defense efforts. By contrast, the previous Department-wide review commissioned under former Secretary Lloyd Austin examined around 3,000 documents and was significantly narrower in scope. The Secretary Austin-led effort was also over-classified at the highest levels, which effectively kept the most critical and relevant information from public scrutiny. This will be the most thorough, transparent, and honest accounting the American people have received of what happened in August 2021. We are executing at the direction of President Trump and Secretary Hegseth to deliver a full and unflinching examination of the systemic, institutional, and leadership factors that contributed to the collapse. Our purpose is to identify failures in decision-making so that we may prevent the United States from ever repeating this tragedy. It is our duty to ensure that the greatest military on Earth is accountable to the American people. Our work continues. We are now integrating the massive documentary record, cross-referencing prior reviews, and preparing our findings and recommendations. The final report will be delivered to the Secretary of War and the American people in the coming months.

It was an honor to host Indonesian Defense Minister @sjafriesjams at the Pentagon today. I was proud to announce that we are elevating our relationship to a Major Defense Cooperation Partnership, in recognition of the strength and potential of our bilateral defense ties.

The tomb is empty. The promise is fulfilled. Through His sacrifice, we are redeemed. We stand firm in faith, courage, and truth—Happy Easter.

Our military installations have been turned into gun-free zones—leaving our service members vulnerable and exposed. That ends today.

Godspeed Artemis II

I witnessed warriors. A brotherhood of men and women - warriors all.

We will forever honor and remember the warriors of Vietnam. They wore the uniform. They fought valiantly. We will ALWAYS REMEMBER their sacrifice.

We will always remember what our Vietnam veterans gave—and the courage they showed. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten.

We are (still) making the Chaplain Corps Great Again.

America’s finest has been on display for the world to see in Memphis, Tennessee. To the patriots making our cities safe again—KEEP GOING.

President Trump made a promise to make Memphis safe again. Thanks to the heroic patriots of Tennessee—we have KEPT that promise.

UPDATE ON COVID-19 REINSTATEMENTS. We are extending the Department’s “reinstatement and return to service” guidance by an ADDITIONAL YEAR, allowing our Warriors of Conscience to return through April 1, 2027. We will continue correcting the wrongs of the Biden administration.

We will finish this—and we will honor their sacrifice with decisive action.

LIVE: @SecWar, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. Dan Caine hold a press briefing at the Pentagon. twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…