Hegseth Yanks U.S. Military Participants From ‘Globalist’ Security Forum

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed reports on Tuesday that the United States Defense Department would not have any representation at the upcoming “globalist” Aspen Security Forum.

As reported by Jerry Dunleavy at Just the News, the Pentagon pulled “roughly a dozen high-ranking U.S. military officials” who were initially scheduled to speak at the elite security forum, citing the organization’s left-wing bias.

Hegseth posted a screenshot of Dunleavy’s headline with just one word of affirmation: “Correct.”

Correct. pic.twitter.com/tbi8vvTWBu

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) July 14, 2025

Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson told the outlet, “The Department of Defense has no interest in legitimizing an organization that has invited former officials who have been the architects of chaos abroad and failure at home.”

“They are antithetical to the America First values of this administration. Senior representatives of the Department of Defense will no longer be participating in an event that promotes the evil of globalism, disdain for our great country, and hatred for the President of the United States,” she added.

According to Dunleavy’s report, approximately a dozen officials were slated to speak at the event — including the commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and Navy Secretary John Phelan — but as of this past weekend, none will be attending.

“Senior Department of Defense officials will no longer be participating at the Aspen Security Forum because their values do not align with the values of the DoD,” Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell announced on Monday. “The Department will remain strong in its focus to increase the lethality of our warfighters, revitalize the warrior ethos, and project Peace Through Strength on the world stage. It is clear the ASF is not in alignment with these goals.”

The Aspen Institute, according to right-leaning think tank The Capital Research Center, spent more than $95 million in 2022 alone on “addressing issues including economic distress, educational opportunity, environmentalism, and the left-wing concept of racial justice.”

Since taking over the helm at the Pentagon, Hegseth has made it his mission to strip politics from the military and the Defense Department, arguing that social experimentation has no place in the DoD.