Peter Brian Hegseth is an American government official, U.S. Army veteran and former television personality. He has served as the 29th U.S. secretary of defense since 2025.

In 2003, Hegseth was commissioned as an infantry officer in the Minnesota Army National Guard and later deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. He became a Fox News contributor in 2014 and co-hosted Fox & Friends Weekend from 2017 to 2024.

Hegseth announced that the execution of Nidal Hasan, convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, would be public. The Pentagon subsequently confirmed plans to livestream it. After the proposal drew criticism from Democrats and Republicans, President Donald Trump announced that the execution would not be livestreamed. A Pentagon spokesperson said Hegseth supported the president’s decision.