War Secretary Pete Hegseth faced repeated disruptions Wednesday during his headline appearance at the Army’s largest annual conference, as protesters denounced him as a “war criminal” and a “coward” over the Iran war.
At least five demonstrators interrupted the first 30 minutes of the panel, using profanity and at one point calling Hegseth a “f–king Nazi” as they voiced opposition to the conflict.
Hegseth initially met the outbursts with laughter and sarcastic remarks. But as protesters emerged one at a time from different parts of the Washington, DC, audience, his responses grew more clipped and visibly frustrated. He described the interruptions as a “semi-coordinated” effort.
“You’re not a warrior, you’re a coward!” one protester yelled. “Children in Gaza are starving! He is a war criminal!”
After another interruption, Hegseth responded, “She thinks highly of me,” prompting a brief round of applause from some attendees.
The demonstrators appeared to be positioned throughout the room, waiting several minutes between interruptions before shouting additional anti-war slogans. Noticing the repeated pattern, Hegseth said, “Appears we have a bit of a tactic.”
Later, he remarked that the protesters were “spouting off slogans,” before adding, “Iran really will never have a nuclear weapon.”
Security officers removed the protesters from the venue. At least one woman continued shouting as multiple officers carried her out of the room.
“The First Amendment right to protest is fundamental. However, everyone who registers to attend the Annual Meeting and enters the convention center does so after agreeing to abide by a code of conduct, so the protestors’ outbursts were certainly not appropriate during today’s forum,” the Association of the US Army said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“The acting Army Secretary organized, and we were honored to host, a historic forum to discuss a critical issue that directly affects national security. We’re grateful for the swift action of security and the Metropolitan Police Department to ensure this important discussion could continue.”
The panel featured Hegseth alongside acting Army Secretary Adam Telle, acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink and Assistant Secretary for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict Derrick Anderson.
As the disruptions persisted, the panelists stopped waiting for the room to quiet down and continued speaking over the protesters’ chants.
It remains unclear how the demonstrators obtained credentials for the event, known as AUSA, which draws Army leaders as well as the defense contractors that support the service.
The discussion centered on Project Agincourt, a Pentagon initiative designed to speed up the development and deployment of autonomous weapons and military systems.
Hegseth and senior leaders from the military branches discussed plans to bring drones, robotics and other autonomous technologies into broader military use.
