Criticism of US Secretary of Defense Hundreds of agents protect Pete Hegseth - even though that's not their job
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is going to unusual lengths to protect himself and his family. According to a report, up to 500 CID agents are deployed for this purpose - at the expense of important tasks.
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- According to a media report, US Secretary of State Pete Hegseth has deployed up to 500 agents to protect himself and his family who are unable to fulfill their actual duties.
- They belong to the Criminal Investigation Division (CID), which is actually responsible for investigating serious crimes in the US army.
- Some ex-partners and their residences are also under protection - a practice that is sharply criticized internally.
When US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently visited the National Guard stationed in Washington D.C. together with J.D. Vance, he and the Vice President were booed by demonstrators. The government duo reacted maliciously - accompanied by numerous bodyguards.
The fact that Hegseth apparently places above-average value on his personal security and that of his family is currently causing criticism: according to a detailed report in the "Washington Post", the US Secretary of Defense is using more resources for this than previously known - and probably at the expense of other security-related tasks.
According to the report, up to 500 agents from the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) are to be deployed exclusively for the security of Hegseth and his family. This would correspond to around a third of the entire CID workforce. "I've never seen so many security teams for one person. Nobody has," the Post quotes a CID employee as saying.
Even the ex-wife was under protection
These revelations are sensitive not only because Hegseth ordered considerable cost-cutting measures at the Pentagon at the beginning of the year and cuts in military spending - including in the CID. But also because this unit is actually responsible for investigating serious crimes within the US Army, from corruption and fraud to sexual violence.
But since he took office in January, other priorities seem to have taken precedence: Instead of carrying out investigative work, numerous agents would accompany the minister and his family to their homes in Washington D.C., Tennessee and Minnesota. According to the newspaper, some of Hegseth's ex-wife's houses were even placed under protection.
"We have no more capacity"
The Pentagon defends the unusual level of protection. A spokesperson told the Washington Post that all measures were taken on the basis of "the current threat situation" and "on the express recommendation of the Army Criminal Investigation Division".
Nevertheless, the handling of resources has met with internal resentment, as the newspaper writes. CID employees report that important investigations are being left undone or can barely be processed. "We no longer have the capacity to do our actual job," one insider is quoted as saying.
The report is based on more than a dozen interviews with CID employees, current and former defense officials and other people close to Hegseth. Internal documents were also analyzed.
Budget is not sufficient
Another problem: the budget is not sufficient to cope with these additional burdens. For the coming year, the CID has requested 250 additional posts and 253 million dollars more budget for personal protection. According to the Post, it does not look as if the government will fully comply with the request for more funds. Internal documents even show that a large part was not approved.
The CID has been struggling with staff shortages for years and the new demands to protect Hegseth are now increasing the pressure, according to the newspaper. To compensate for shortfalls, reservists have already been called up, training measures have been canceled and investigative trips have been canceled.
Growing dissatisfaction within the authority
Hegseth's security efforts are also causing practical problems, as the newspaper reports. For example, a large number of agents recently accompanied the minister and his family to a baseball game in Washington, even though no private box had been booked. This made protection considerably more difficult; it had to be improvised - until the minister was ultimately given an empty VIP suite at short notice.
Employees report of assignments in which they merely had to guard bags or wait for hours in cars outside the Hegseth family's homes - activities that have little to do with the agency's actual mission. The dissatisfaction in the CID is growing, as the quote from an officer interviewed shows: "It takes away our ability to do what we are there for".
