EXCLUSIVE – Trump’s nominee for President-elect for Minister of DefensePete Hegseth, has been described as an “incredibly talented, battle-proven leader,” according to a copy of military evaluations obtained by Fox News Digital.
Hegseth is scheduled to face a Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, where lawmakers are expected to criticize the 44-year-old National Guard veteran and former Fox News host over his ability to lead the Defense Department. A leading critic of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the military, Hegseth has come under scrutiny in recent weeks for his credentials.
Fox News obtained copies of past performance evaluations that describe Hegseth’s “outstanding” leadership skills during his years of military service, including deployments to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Hegseth was deployed with the New Jersey National Guard to Guantánamo Bay, where he was the leader of a 39-man Air Assault Infantry Platoon that could deploy anywhere in the world within 36 hours.
In an officer evaluation report covering the period from April 2005 to January 2006, Hegseth received an “outstanding performance” and was described as an “incredibly talented, combat-proven leader”.
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Pete Hegseth in uniform. (Fox News)
“Assuming command of his platoon just days before deploying to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, he effectively led his platoon through five months of combat,” the report said. “He planned and executed platoon operations ranging from air assault to forward operating base (FOB) defense.”
During his tour as a platoon leader, his evaluators said Hegseth ensured “that his platoon remains physically fit and mentally prepared to meet the challenges of long-duration missions in demanding conditions.”
While serving at FOB Falcon, Iraq, Hegseth’s platoon “developed and strengthened the company’s water defense sector and conducted its portion of the continuous defense for three months while planning and executing additional offensive operations.”
Under his leadership, the report said, Hegseth’s platoon “cleared areas around FOB Falcon suspected of engaging in insurgent activity and denied their use to counter-Iraqi forces” and “also conducted an airstrike, an attack on high-value targets in which captured al-Qaida cell leader in Iraq.” Hegseth and his troops headed north to Samarra, Iraq, where he “effectively switched his platoon to sustained offensive operations and spent nine days of continuous combat outposts, nine days of patrolling and deliberate cordon and search plus numerous time-sensitive missions,” the report read .
“His performance as a platoon leader was solid. He is more than capable of operating independently, controlling not only his units but also air support, indirect fire support and other external combat support,” his evaluators wrote.
Pete Hegseth speaks to reporters after meeting with U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-IA, in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on December 9, 2024. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images, file)
Anticipating a row during Tuesday’s confirmation process, several Republican lawmakers held a news conference on Capitol Hill Monday endorsing Hegseth.
Criticism against Hegseth included alleged mismanagement of veterans’ nonprofit funds and a lack of recent military experience. He was accused of sexually abusing a woman at the GOP conference in 2017. He was never criminally charged, but reportedly admitted to paying his accuser an undisclosed sum over the allegations.
“I’m 110% behind Pete Hegseth,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., member Senate Armed Services Committeehe said. “He’s going to be torn apart. He’s going to be humiliated. He’s going to be talked about. But we’re going to get him over the finish line.”
“The last four years have been an absolute disaster for our military. Again, we have a lot of good people, a lot of good men and women who believe in the United States of America. But we have to move forward and we have to have a leader. It all starts with one person,” Tuberville added. . “We don’t need a general from the Pentagon. We’ve tried that. We need a drill sergeant, someone who’s been in two wars, someone who understands friendship and team, work ethic and timing, restraint and respect.”
“I strongly support Pete Hegseth for several reasons. We have the most educated and powerful military in the history of the planet. And we haven’t won a war in 80 years,” Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., said.
In Iraq, Hegseth also served as the assistant civil military operations officer for the 660-man Air Assault Infantry Battalion. According to another report obtained by Fox News Digital, the assessors described him as an “absolutely outstanding officer”, who was “intelligent, mature and extremely gifted” and became “a tremendous asset to his battalion and contributed immensely to the performance of the BN during the past six months.”
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The officer’s evaluation report goes on to describe how Hegseth “conducted numerous patrols and civil affairs missions and provided exceptional support to the battalion, proving to be a strong combat leader during Operation Iraqi Freedom.” His evaluators said he “developed relationships and trust with many of the local leaders of Samarra, Iraq,” which allowed him “to help gather intelligence that led to the capture/killing of countless Al Qaeda and insurgent leaders.”
Pete Hegseth gives a thumbs up with his wife Jennifer Hegseth, left, as they meet with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
“His performance as assistant battalion officer for civil-military operations was excellent,” the company’s executive officer wrote of Hegseth. “He is a proven combat leader who is calm under fire and leads from the front.”
“Peter is physically and mentally strong and exhibits a level of maturity, poise and confidence usually found in senior officers,” the report said.
“Peter always completes every mission to a high standard with minimal guidance or supervision. He has unlimited potential,” the evaluator added.
Hegseth received similarly glowing feedback when he was later deployed to Afghanistan with Minnesota Army National Guardanother 2012 officer evaluation report showed.
“Outstanding performance. CPT Pete Hegseth is the best CPT in this command (#1 of 12),” the report said. “Pete has clearly risen to the top of his peer group due to his exceptional leadership skills, initiative and commitment to mission accomplishment. Pete has worked extremely hard to learn as much as he can about counterinsurgency operations, easily developing into one of my best COIN instructors. Always received high marks in end-of-course reviews.”
The report cited Hegseth’s “personal bravery and selfless service” during the October 2011 attack.
“Heels [led] rapid response forces to assist in the recovery of victims, ensuring that the location is secure and that all remains have been recovered,” the report said.
The evaluator said Hegseth “should be given command as soon as possible and closely monitored to maximize his potential for career advancement.”
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Hegseth received two Bronze Star Medals and two Military Medals, among other honors. He was praised for his work creating lessons and relinking guides for the Counterinsurgency Training Center in Afghanistan, devoting hours to research, sometimes outside of work hours, and training NATO students from multiple countries.
