Behind the scenes and in front of cameras, Hegseth serving as top cheerleader for military power in Iran war

 

In the immediate lead-up to the first bombs being dropped on Iran last month, President Donald Trump met with a small group of advisers to discuss options. He made it clear that he wanted to launch a military campaign alongside Israel.

It was at that moment, before an operation, that prior defense secretaries would typically stress to the president that there were potential downsides to such a move. In the case of Iran strikes, those would include the likely economic fallout should Tehran retaliate by closing the Strait of Hormuz and the limits of a military air campaign when it comes to destroying the country’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium or in fomenting regime change.

But Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth not only validated the president’s idea to move forward, he also downplayed the inherent risks of the conflict spiraling out of control, according to three sources familiar with the matter. Nobody in the room during that critical meeting emphasized the potential risks of starting the war.

Sources insisted that Hegseth didn’t push the war on Trump, but once it was clear what the president was going to decide, Hegseth served as one of the biggest cheerleaders.

“Once the president made the decision, [Hegseth] was the No. 1 supporter of it, as he should be,” one senior White House official told CNN. “He’s still responsible for making sure it’s a success.”

Both behind the scenes and in front of cameras Hegseth has been unerringly enthusiastic about the execution of the war. Most of the military planning and strategy discussed in meetings with Trump come from Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, according to the sources, with Hegseth largely vocalizing his confidence in military might.

Trump has turned to Hegseth to carry that positive assessment to the public, serving as one of the faces of the campaign in a series of press briefings where the defense secretary has leaned into his combative posture with reporters while repeatedly declaring military successes. He’s criticized coverage that suggests anything has caught military planners by surprise or that has pointed to the costs of the campaign, going so far as to argue the coverage of service members killed in action was primarily for the purpose of making “the president look bad.”

One month into the war, multiple sources tell CNN that Hegseth’s most critical role during the conflict has been to effectively serve in the job that Trump hired him to do: be the face of the Pentagon.

“If CNN is writing a story about Secretary Hegseth being a cheerleader for the US military — then absolutely yes. And President Trump is equally as proud to serve as commander in chief,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN.

After this story was published, the Pentagon replied to a request for comment from CNN.

“It is the duty of the Secretary of War to present President Trump with clear, decisive military options,” Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said, using the agency’s preferred title for the secretary of defense. “Secretary Hegseth is leading the way in delivering on the President’s objectives with precision and resolve — ensuring the Commander-in-Chief has every possible option at his disposal.”

Trump chose Hegseth as secretary of defense in part because of his looks and his ability to comport himself on television, multiple sources told CNN at the time. Many people in Trump’s orbit were caught by surprise by his decision, particularly given Hegseth’s lack of experience in military leadership, the sources said.

When Trump decided to launch combat operations, the White House wanted the Pentagon to serve as the administration’s primary communicator — a decision based, in part, on Hegseth’s credentials as a former Fox News anchor and his typically bombastic demeanor while defending the president’s actions. Hegseth has remained very involved from a military perspective — along with Caine — but has been less vocal than others in advocating for policy, another source told CNN.

“The president wants Pete to be who he is, which is his combative, patriotic and outspoken nature,” a senior White House official told CNN. “The president appreciates that about him and wants him to keep doing that.”

Source: CNN