As the war in Iran drags on, Pentagon staffers are becoming increasingly dismayed over Secretary of War (Department of Defense) Pete Hegseth. Insiders have called Hegseth out for his utter cluelessness, and he is being reportedly mocked behind his back in the Pentagon.
The Pentagon officials, current and former, told Zeteo recently that the former Fox News host has been allegedly dubbed a version of McNamara, who became a symbol of America’s failures in the Vietnam War.
On getting his job at the Pentagon, Hegseth changed his title from Secretary of Defense to Secretary of War. Now, his insatiable appetite for war has reportedly earned him a brutal new nickname, “Dumb McNamara.” The moniker comes from Robert McNamara, John F. Kennedy’s defense secretary.
Hegseth starting to lose the president as his speech goes a bit long pic.twitter.com/2YworxQZOz
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 26, 2026
McNamara was a businessman turned statesman, who has often been credited with bringing the US into the Vietnam War, which killed from 1.4 million to 3.5 million people. The defense secretary pushed for America’s involvement in the war so much that the Vietnam War was eventually dubbed “McNamara’s War.”
Speaking of the current Iran conflict, Hegseth is among the main supporters of the US President’s war in the Middle Eastern country. In fact, Trump even credits Hegseth for pushing so hard for the conflict. During an engagement in Tennessee earlier this week, Trump said, “Pete, I think you were the first one to speak up. You said, ‘Let’s do it,’” words Hegseth didn’t appear happy to hear.
McNamara, who acted as defense secretary in both the John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson presidencies from 1961 to 1968, repeatedly praised the US military’s performance in Vietnam. In 1967, the defense secretary commissioned what is now known as the Pentagon Papers. This top-secret investigation questioned the wisdom of the US’s involvement in the Vietnam War.
However, Hegseth continues to push for the Iran war, saying on Tuesday, “We negotiate with bombs,” and adding, “You have a choice, as we loiter over the top of Tehran.” The following day, in the Pentagon’s first monthly worship service since the start of the war, to pray for “overwhelming violence.”
According to the most recent Reuters/Ipsos poll run from March 20 to 23 among 1,272 US adults, only 36 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s performance, down from 40 percent last week.
Moreover, polling on the strikes in Iran, only 35 percent of Americans approve, which is down from 37 percent last week. Meanwhile, a huge 71 percent now disapprove of the Iran war.
Other than this, Pete Hegseth also remained in the news after watchdog group Open the Books detailed how the Department of Defense reportedly spent roughly $93.4 billion on grants and contracts during the final month of fiscal year 2025. The total marked the largest September spending surge the group has recorded since it began tracking Pentagon data more than a decade ago. According to the report, the Pentagon spent over $225 million on furniture alone in September, which also happens to be the highest monthly total since 2014.
