HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrived in Hawaii Monday morning. This is the first leg on Hegseth’s trip, which will take him to Japan next, then Malaysia, Vietnam, and South Korea.

U.S. troops with facial hair were barred from attending an upcoming event with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in South Korea this week, according to reports.

A rumor that circulated online in October 2025 claimed (archived) zookeeper and conservationist Robert Irwin filed a $60 million lawsuit against U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.  According to the story,

A new memo on communications with Capitol Hill, signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his deputy, follows restrictions on reporting out of the Pentagon.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s clampdown on Pentagon press access has blown up into an open revolt by major newsrooms, with reporters vacating their desks rather than accept new rules that tighten movement inside the building and threaten credentials for seeking information the department has not pre-cleared.

Was Pete Hegseth sued for $50 or $60 million along with a television network after an "on-air clash" with Robert Irwin or someone else? No, that's not true: A network of spam pages on Facebook put out dozens and

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has called for stricter enforcement of fitness standards—though many of the military’s most important roles have little direct connection to physical fitness.