The Republican Party’s confidence in United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appears to be waning, amid growing frustrations over the war with Iran dragging on with no end in sight. Like Trump, Hegseth is stridently opposed to “woke” programmes that promote equity and inclusion in the military. What has Hegseth done as defence secretary? Hegseth has drawn criticism during his tenure as secretary of defence – or, as Trump calls him, “secretary of war”. Hegseth has also been charged with keeping the Iran war in a protracted limbo despite promising a swift resolution.