Pete Hegseth is a former U.S. Army National Guard infantry officer and television commentator who now serves as the U.S. Secretary of Defense, using the additional title “Secretary of War” under a 2025 executive order. As Secretary of War/Defense, he is the top civilian leader of the Department of War (formerly the Department of Defense), a cabinet‑level official who advises the president on defense policy and oversees the U.S. military departments (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force) and overall military strategy, budgeting, and operations.
Historically, the “Department of War” was the cabinet department that ran the U.S. Army until 1947, when it was folded into the new National Military Establishment, renamed the Department of Defense (DoD) in 1949. In 2025, an executive order allowed the current Department of Defense and its secretary to also use the secondary titles “Department of War” and “Secretary of War,” but it is still the same institution that oversees all U.S. military branches. So the present‑day Department of War is effectively the DoD under a rebranded or dual name, not a separate department.
Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Red River is a regional U.S. Navy recruiting command based in the Dallas–Fort Worth area (including Irving, Texas). It covers roughly 150,000 square miles in North Texas and Oklahoma and runs dozens of enlisted recruiting stations, officer recruiting stations, and Military Entrance Processing Stations. Its job is to find, counsel, and process qualified applicants who want to enlist or commission into the Navy.
The advisory says the event will be livestreamed, but the specific public viewing link or platform (for example, a particular page on War.gov, YouTube, Facebook, or another service) is not available in the accessible version of the advisory, and no independent coverage has published a direct link. Based on typical Pentagon practice, such events are often streamed through official Department of War/Defense or service‑branch websites and social‑media channels, but the exact URL for this event cannot be confirmed from publicly available information.
Yes, it is reasonably common—though still a special occasion—for senior civilian leaders, including cabinet‑level officials, to administer the oath of enlistment at high‑profile or mass enlistment ceremonies. By law, any commissioned officer can administer the oath, and in practice it is often given by local officers or recruiters, but secretaries (for example, the Secretary of the Army or Secretary of Defense/War) sometimes personally deliver the oath at stadium events, base ceremonies, or other public gatherings to highlight recruiting and show senior‑level support for the troops.
Yes. Livestreaming enlistment or graduation ceremonies has become more common, but it is governed by Defense Department and service‑specific public‑affairs, privacy, and operations‑security rules. Key points include: (1) events that are streamed are generally considered public ceremonies; (2) personal privacy and sensitive information (like Social Security numbers, detailed medical information, or certain family data) must not be shown or disclosed; and (3) units follow public‑affairs and social‑media guidance to ensure content is appropriate and does not create security risks. Recruits normally participate voluntarily in public or on‑camera portions of these events, and commands are responsible for protecting any personally identifiable information.