Pete Hegseth was widely mocked after a caps‑locked X post named three military actions—Operation Rough Rider, Operation Midnight Hammer and Operation Southern Spear—in a post seen millions of times. Critics, including veterans and authors, ridiculed the names while Hegseth amplified attention by sharing a doctored TV image. The controversy comes amid deadly maritime strikes that killed at least 80 people, low public approval for extrajudicial killings, an Amnesty International report on civilian harm in Yemen, and debate over his installation of "Department of War" plaques—changes that could cost roughly $2 billion to formalize.
Pete Hegseth Mocked for Caps‑Locked Operation Names as Strikes and ‘Department of War’ Move Draw Scrutiny
Pete Hegseth was widely mocked after a caps‑locked X post named three military actions—Operation Rough Rider, Operation Midnight Hammer and Operation Southern Spear—in a post seen millions of times. Critics, including veterans and authors, ridiculed the names while Hegseth amplified attention by sharing a doctored TV image. The controversy comes amid deadly maritime strikes that killed at least 80 people, low public approval for extrajudicial killings, an Amnesty International report on civilian harm in Yemen, and debate over his installation of "Department of War" plaques—changes that could cost roughly $2 billion to formalize.
07:29 AM, 11/17/2025Politics
Pentagon chief’s viral post draws ridicule amid broader controversy
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—formerly a Fox News host—faced widespread mockery after posting in all caps the names of three U.S. military actions in a widely viewed X post.
Hegseth wrote: "OPERATION ROUGH RIDER = Freedom of Navigation for U.S. ships; OPERATION MIDNIGHT HAMMER = Obliteration of Iranian nuclear sites; OPERATION SOUTHERN SPEAR = Destroy Narco‑Terrorists killing Americans." The post was viewed roughly 6.8 million times.
His message—"POTUS means business—and the world knows it. Peace Through Strength."—prompted rapid, often scornful reaction online. Veterans, authors and others dismissed the names as tone‑deaf or cartoonish.
"If these were real mission names soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines are LAUGHING THEIR A**ES OFF," wrote author and former U.S. Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Malcolm Nance in a post seen about 2.7 million times.
Novelist Barry Eisler said he initially thought the account was a parody, and author Daniel Drezner suggested the tongue‑in‑cheek alternative "OPERATION HUSKY FARMBOY."
Hegseth continued to amplify the coverage, posting a photo of a TV segment from Fox’s Jesse Watters Primetime that showed a doctored image of him shooting lasers from his eyes and wielding a spear under the caption "OPERATION SOUTHERN SPEAR."
Context and criticism
The names come as the administration conducts a campaign of lethal strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that officials say are being used to traffic narcotics toward the U.S. At least 80 people have been killed in those strikes, which have been carried out without congressional approval, according to reporting.
An Ipsos/Reuters poll found just 29% of voters approve of the government’s use of extrajudicial killings, while 51% oppose executing suspects without a trial. Separately, an Oct. 29 report from Amnesty International concluded that an April U.S. airstrike dubbed "Operation Rough Rider" on a migrant detention center in Sa’ada, north‑western Yemen, caused "catastrophic civilian harm on vulnerable migrants," many detained solely for their irregular immigration status.
It was also a consequential week for Hegseth inside the department: he installed new plaques at some Defense Department entrances using the title he says the president prefers—the "Department of War." Officials have noted that formally renaming the department would require rewriting internal and external communications systems and replacing letterhead, badges, placards and signage worldwide, changes estimated to cost about $2 billion.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the Department of Defense for comment. The public reaction highlights broader questions about military naming, public messaging and oversight of lethal strikes carried out without congressional authorization.