Hegseth believes the US Military should win the Nobel Peace prize every year because evidently, peace is all about fighting ‘a war the right way’

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made some waves during a press briefing centered on Operation Epic Fury, the ongoing military operation in Iran, when he opened the floor to reporters from the entertainment outlet TMZ. The Pentagon has been continuously reshaping its press corps. Thus, per The Hill, most questions at these briefings now come from right-wing media outlets, while legacy and mainstream news organizations are frequently sidelined.

Hegseth kicked things off by highlighting the pace of Operation Epic Fury, contrasting it with past U.S. military involvements in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. According to him, those wars “took years, decades, vague missions, shifting sands,” he said. “Little to show for it. Operation Epic Fury has been laser-focused from the very start.” After he took some questions from the press, he called on TMZ correspondents Jacob Wasserman and Charlie Cotton.

This led to a clear atmosphere shift. Wasserman asked, “I’ve heard you talk a lot about bombing people and places, and when you give these orders to carry out this extreme level of violence, what’s going through your mind and your body? Do you have, like, an adrenaline rush? Are you scared? Do you feel like you’re on a power trip? Just walk us through and paint us a picture of what it feels like mentally and physically.”

I agree with Hegseth here, it is a very TMZ question

Hegseth mentioned that his primary goal is to ensure that war fighters have the resources they need to defeat the enemy and return home safely. “I want them to feel empowered to have every authority they need, within our rules and within our law, to bring maximum violence to the enemy, because war is violent, war requires doing difficult things,” he continued. “But I want our people to feel empowered so it’s our guys that come home and their guys do not.”

Cotton then picked up the line of questions with a rather entertaining question about the renaming of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. Specifically, if they would consider renaming the department ‘Department of Peace,’ since “that’s what we’re all after?”

Hegseth found the question interesting. “Well, that’s the pursuit,” Hegseth answered. “It’s a great question, actually. You go from Defense to War because you want to be proactive about peace through strength. And, really –– I gave a speech in front of generals about what the ethos of the War Department is all about because I wanted to go through every echelon of this department.”

In a surprising take, Hegseth shared that he once produced a video suggesting the department should actually win the Nobel Peace Prize. “When you fight a war the right way, you bring about real peace on the other side.” He went on to add, “The U.S. military should win the Nobel Peace Prize every single year — because they’re the greatest guarantor of safety and security in the world.”

The DOD’s renaming was approved through an executive order signed by the President. This order, as outlined by the White House, states that President George Washington established the original Department of War, with that name. The order also argues that the name better reflects the nation’s strength and resolve, ensuring peace through strength by demonstrating a willingness to fight and win wars at a moment’s notice.

This unusual exchange did not go unnoticed by other members of the press. Newsmax national security correspondent Carla Babb took to X shortly after the briefing to express her frustration. “It is apparent the majority of reporters called upon at the Pentagon briefing don’t cover the Pentagon regularly.” She suggested that the Pentagon should prioritize questions that aren’t as entertainment-focused.

The presence of TMZ at the Pentagon follows the company’s recent opening of a D.C. bureau. This is just one piece of a much larger puzzle regarding media access. The Pentagon has previously attempted to enforce restrictive new rules for building access, which led to legal challenges. A judge had to order the department to restore press access after The New York Times challenged these restrictions. 

The dynamic between the administration and the press corps is undergoing a significant transformation. Whether you are a fan of these changes or not, it is undeniable that the way information is being delivered—and who is being asked to deliver it—is changing rapidly.