Protecting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has become such a massive undertaking that the Army’s own investigative arm is feeling the strain.
According to multiple reports, the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) — the unit tasked both with shielding Hegseth and probing serious crimes — has had to pull hundreds of agents away from core investigations just to cover his family’s security needs.
CID’s Dual Role
CID isn’t just another security detail. It serves as the Army’s police force, investigating felonies and violations of military law, while also providing protective services for high-ranking officials.
But since Hegseth took the helm, sources say the balance has shifted.
More agents are now being redirected to guard his properties in Tennessee, Minnesota, and Washington D.C., as well as to provide round-the-clock security for his seven children, who live across three different households.
A Security Presence Hard to Miss
Those close to the operation describe Hegseth’s security footprint as unusually large. “I’ve never seen this many security teams for one guy.
Nobody has,” one CID official told the Washington Post.
Even in everyday settings, the protective bubble around Hegseth is impossible to overlook.
When the Daily Mail spotted him dining with his wife Jennifer and their young children in South West D.C., more than half a dozen agents were stationed around the table.
Investigations Put on Hold
The ramped-up security has come at a cost. Insiders say critical investigations are being delayed as agents are reassigned to protect Hegseth and his family.
“We have complete inability to achieve our most basic missions,” one person familiar with CID operations told the Post.
Pentagon Pushes Back
The Pentagon, however, has rejected the notion that resources are being misused.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell insisted the security measures are based on the “threat environment” and made at the “full recommendation” of CID.
He also criticized media coverage, saying: “When left-wing blogs like the Washington Post continue to dox cabinet secretaries’ security protocols and movements, it puts lives at risk.”
A Growing Force
CID’s responsibility doesn’t stop with Hegseth. The division also protects other senior figures, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Army secretary.
Traditionally, about 150 of the agency’s 1,500 agents worked on VIP protection.
That number, however, has skyrocketed under Hegseth.
Sources claim the protective detail has ballooned to “400 and going up,” with another insider estimating it’s “over 500.”
Mounting Questions
The extraordinary scale of security around one Pentagon official has raised eyebrows inside and outside the military.
With CID stretched thin, concerns are growing over whether the agency can still perform its investigative role while devoting so many resources to one man and his family.
