Defense Secretary Pete Hegses signed the memo on Friday, calling for a review of the Military Equality Opportunity and the DOD Civilian Employment Opportunity Program. Secretaries of each military department are required under notes to evaluate programs being implemented within their department.
In a video posted to X, which released the memo, Hegses said that while it is “good” for the military to have multiple means of complaining about harassment and discrimination, the system is “weaponized” and used with malicious intentions against superiors and peers.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegses will speak at a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on February 5th at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.
Hegses faces the latest fight to defend his post as Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon
The official title of the memo is to “restore good order and discipline through balanced accountability,” but Heggs says he calls it a “not walking on eggshells” policy.
“So here’s the goal: leaders can make tough decisions, enforce standards and restore proper order and discipline,” Heggs said in the video.
The memo directs the secretary to ensure that “the unfounded evidence is dismissed in a timely manner by viable and reliable evidence.” Additionally, “favourable behaviors” such as awards and promotions, including the alleged defendant, should be considered until the complaint is demonstrated. Finally, the memo states that people who “willfully file false complaints” may face discipline.
The secretary has 45 days to complete the review.
Hegseth is not a stranger in the controversy and has faced several allegations since being tapped to lead the DOD. It’s not stretch to imagine him might have sympathy for people facing false or unfounded allegations.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegses is not accustomed to the controversy and has faced several allegations since being tapped to lead the DOD. (Franco Brana/AFP via Getty Images)
Defense Secretary Pete Hegses rejects new group chat claims in an attempt to “scatter” Trump’s agenda
Before confirmation, Hegses was faced with allegations of sexual misconduct, alcohol abuse and mismanagement by the veterans organization. This includes an affidavit by his former step-sister, who claimed that Hegses was physically abusing his ex-wife, Samantha “Sam” Hegs. However, Sam denied the allegations, saying he had not experienced any physical abuse during his marriage to Hegus.
Hegseth told lawmakers at the hearing that he was not the “perfect person,” but claimed he was the subject of a “coordinated smear campaign built into the media.”
Furthermore, since becoming Secretary of Defense, Hegseth has been involved in two scandals over encrypted messaging app signals.
The first scandal came when Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic was added to Signal Chat. At this time, there was debate over the US’s plan to attack Yemen. National security adviser Mike Waltz took away a lot of heat due to the situation, but Heggs couldn’t escape criticism. Ultimately, the Trump administration argued that the group’s arguments did not actually include a “war plan.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegses will attend the NATO Defense Ministers’ Conference in Brussels on February 13th (Reuters/Yves Herman)
On Sunday, Hegses was accused of sharing military information in a signal group chat that included his wife, brother and personal lawyers. The New York Times reported that people with knowledge of the situation said the information “contains flight schedules for the F/A-18 Hornets targeting Yemen’s Houtis.”
Heggs told Fox & Friends that the allegations were intended to “scatter” President Donald Trump’s agenda.
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The White House stood behind him despite OP-ED, which suggests that Hegseth could leave.
“He’s bringing monumental changes to the Pentagon, and there are many people in the city who refuse to do so. Frankly, he told White House spokesman Caroline Lewitt that he saw the smear campaign against the Secretary of Defense from the moment President Trump announced his nomination in the US Senate that it paid off on Tuesday.
Diana Stancy contributed to this report.
Rachel Wolf is a news writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
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