Is Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth waging a holy war against Iran?

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Apr 10, 2026

Eric Schmitt, New York Times national security correspondent with decades covering the Pentagon, breaks down Pete Hegseth’s rise from Fox News to Defence Secretary. He discusses Hegseth’s religious rhetoric, sweeping leadership changes, DEI rollbacks, tightened press access, and whether this role could be a springboard for bigger political ambitions.

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INSIGHT

Religious Rhetoric Shapes Hegseth's Pentagon Image

Pete Hegseth projects an ideological, sermon-like leadership style at the Pentagon, blending militarism with overt Christian rhetoric.
Justin Webb frames Hegseth as different from past secretaries because of his media background and religious tone at briefings.

INSIGHT

Slim Senate Confirmation Highlighted Inexperience

Hegseth lacks traditional Pentagon credentials and was confirmed by a 51-vote margin amid skepticism from senior Republicans.
Anthony Zurcher notes Hegseth's ideologue profile versus past secretaries who had long bureaucratic or military careers.

INSIGHT

Purges And Public Ultimatum To Generals

Hegseth has purged senior Pentagon officials, signaling a top-down cultural reset toward combat focus.
Anthony recalls Hegseth's Quantico speech telling generals to 'sign up or sign out' as an early power play.

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Why has Hegseth fired top generals from the military, and how does he use religion to justify America’s war aims? We look at the frontman for the US war in Iran, the former Fox News host, Pete Hegseth. A key feature of his Pentagon press briefings are his religious rhetoric, which may reveal the motivation behind his reforms of the U.S. military.

Despite only narrowly making it through the confirmation process to become defense secretary in the first place, Hegseth has become a key figure in the White House as he looks to reshape the Pentagon by rolling back on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies and removing many key figures at the top of the Pentagon.

In today’s episode of Americast, Justin and Anthony speak to Eric Schmitt from The New York Times, a longtime national security correspondent who recently left his press desk inside the Pentagon after refusing to accept new Trump administration rules that restrict their movements and who they can talk to. Justin and Eric discuss the reasons why Donald Trump wanted Hegseth in post, the impact so far of the changes he’s making inside the Pentagon, and whether he’s eyeing up a presidential run of his own one day.

HOSTS: • Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter • Anthony Zurcher, North America Correspondent

GUEST: • Eric Schmitt, National Security Correspondent at The New York Times

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This episode was made by George Dabby with Alix Pickles. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

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