Defense Secretary Hegseth Heckled by Protesters at Army Conference in Washington

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced repeated interruptions from protesters on Wednesday during a panel discussion on drones at the U.S. Army’s annual conference in Washington.

Six protesters disrupted the roughly hour-long discussion at the Association of the United States Army's (AUSA) annual meeting at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Hegseth and senior civilian military leaders were discussing Project Agincourt, the Pentagon's initiative to accelerate autonomous warfare. Protesters shouted accusations of war crimes related to the ongoing U.S. war with Iran and referenced the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Protesters called Hegseth a war criminal and a "Nazi," with one yelling, "You're not a warrior, you're a coward," and "Children in Gaza are starving!" Another shouted, "You're killing my family." Security personnel removed the protesters individually. Hegseth responded with quips, including "She thinks highly of me" and "Appears we have a bit of a tactic."

Some audience members chanted "USA, USA" during the removals. President Donald Trump recently overruled Hegseth's plans to livestream the execution by firing squad of a former U.S. Hegseth had announced these plans last Thursday. A federal judge also raised the possibility of forcing Hegseth to testify under oath regarding his public statements targeting transgender people. The protests highlight ongoing public opposition to the U.S.