WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has instructed his team to track down any military personnel who have either mocked or shown approval of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, aiming to enforce disciplinary action, according to two defense officials speaking to NBC News.
Several service members have already been removed from their positions due to such content on social media, the officials reported, mentioning that Hegseth’s order also covers individuals linked to the Defense Department. The exact number of those reprimanded remains unspecified.
In a move to encourage vigilance, Hegseth and other top Pentagon officials shared messages on X this week, urging the public to highlight any posts that could be seen as negative towards Kirk or lacking sympathy for his death.
“We are tracking all these very closely — and will address, immediately. Completely unacceptable,” Hegseth wrote on X Thursday.
This was further supported by Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell’s statement on X, declaring, “It is unacceptable for military personnel and Department of War civilians to celebrate or mock the assassination of a fellow American.”
“The Department of War has zero tolerance for it,” Parnell added, using the secondary name for the Defense Department.
Numerous social media users have responded to this call by helping Hegseth and the Pentagon identify and report relevant posts. A significant number of service members and civilian Pentagon staff have had their controversial posts noted and brought together under the hashtag #RevolutionariesintheRanks.
Some entries within this compilation do not directly endorse or ridicule Kirk’s assassination but are considered to hold a negative stance — like one that stated, “I don’t give a s— about Charlie Kirk.”
Others have been much harsher. “The hatred you spew is enough to get you what you deserve pal,” one post read.
One U.S. military officer said troops know they are not allowed to condone political violence, but being fired for criticizing a person, particularly a civilian who has no ties to the military, is extremely rare.
“We can’t criticize the commander in chief, but I can’t remember anyone ever telling me we can’t say anything critical about a civilian like this. He was not in our chain of command or anything,” the officer said.
Far-right activist Laura Loomer, a close ally of President Donald Trump, has called for the investigation of an Army major general, saying on X that his son had posted online that Kirk was a “racist homophobe misogynist.”
She said the son works for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and called on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to “fire” him. Loomer also said Hegseth should “review the employment” of his father.
A spokesperson for FEMA said the “employee’s words are revolting and unconscionable” and he “was immediately placed on administrative leave.”
“Celebrating the death of a fellow American is appalling, unacceptable and sickening. Such behavior does not reflect the values of public service, and it will not be tolerated among individuals entrusted to work at FEMA,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The disciplinary action against the employee was first reported by Fox News.
Asked for comment on the effort to find these social media posts, the Pentagon referred back to Parnell’s statement. “Beyond that, we don’t have anything additional to provide from the Department’s level and we would refer you to the services,” another defense official said.
Kirk, an influential conservative and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot dead Wednesday at an event on a college campus in Utah.
Authorities said Friday that Tyler Robinson, 22, of Utah, has been arrested in connection with the killing. He is expected to be charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury and obstruction of justice, according to a probable cause affidavit.
