By Erin Keller

 

WASHNGTON, 27 March. - (ANA) - Pentagon staffers are poking fun at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth with a brutal nickname, according to a report published Tuesday.

 

Several officials have reportedly referred to Hegseth as “Dumb McNamara,” a comparison to former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, who played a central role in expanding U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, current and former U.S. officials told Zeteo Tuesday.

 

The former defense secretary pushed so hard for further U.S. involvement in Vietnam that some dubbed it ‘“McNamara’s War.” The nickname is meant to take a jab at Hegseth’s hardline military approach, comparing it to a chapter in U.S. history that’s widely seen as a major strategic failure.

 

Hegseth has become one of the strongest public backers of President Donald Trump’s military campaign in Iran, openly backing the administration’s aggressive approach. Speaking at an event in Tennessee this week, Trump singled out the former “Fox & Friends” host as an early and eager supporter, saying, “Pete, I think you were the first one to speak up. You said, ‘Let’s do it.’”

 

McNamara, who started out as a businessman before moving into government, served under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961 to 1968. He regularly gave positive updates about the war in Vietnam, despite declassified documents later showing that he knew it had become a disaster, the Daily Beast reports.

 

Estimates of deaths in the Vietnam War vary, but most historians put the total between 2 million and 3.5 million people.

 

In 1967, McNamara ordered a classified study that would later be known as the Pentagon Papers. The top-secret report examined the history and decision-making behind U.S. involvement in Vietnam and ultimately raised serious questions about the strategy and justification for the war.

 

Unlike McNamara, who later expressed regret over his role in Vietnam, Hegseth has shown little indication of reconsidering his stance. He has continued to advocate for forceful military action.

 

“We negotiate with bombs,” Hegseth said Tuesday. “You have a choice, as we loiter over the top of Tehran.”

 

The next day, Hegseth stood at the Pentagon’s first monthly worship service since the Iran war began and prayed not for peace, but for what he called “overwhelming violence” against America’s enemies.

 

“Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation,” Hegseth said. “Give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.”  - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/27 March 2026 - - -