NEW DELHI: Pete Hegseth, the Army National Guard veteran and Fox News host picked by US president-elect Donald Trump to lead the Department of Defense, was flagged as a potential “Insider Threat” by a fellow service member.
Hegseth’s tattoo of the phrase “Deus Vult,” linked to white supremacist groups, raised concerns about extremist affiliations within the military ranks.
Accordint to associated press a fellow Guard member who was the unit’s security manager and on an anti-terrorism team at the time, shared an email he sent to the unit’s leadership flagging a different tattoo reading “Deus Vult” that’s been used by white supremacists, concerned it was an indication of an “Insider Threat.”
Hegseth has argued that he was unfairly targeted, asserting that the tattoo’s symbolism was misinterpreted. He has also criticised the Pentagon’s efforts to tackle extremism within the military, saying such steps reflect a baseless, exaggerated issue.
Since the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Hegseth has downplayed both the violence and the involvement of military-trained individuals, stating on a Fox News panel that the crowd were “people who love our country” and who “love freedom.”
However, the Pentagon responded with alarm as individuals in tactical gear moved in military-style formations on the Capitol steps. Among those facing the most serious charges from the insurrection, eight of the 14 convicted for seditious conspiracy had prior military service. More than 20 of the military-related individuals arrested were actively serving at the time, according to data from the University of Maryland’s START consortium.
In his recent book, The War on Warriors, Hegseth maintained that only “a handful” of active-duty soldiers and reservists were present at the Capitol that day, ignoring the larger number of military veterans involved in the insurrection. He has described the Pentagon’s counter-extremism efforts as “fake” and “manufactured,” asserting it has pushed “rank-and-file patriots out of their formations.”
Hegseth’s potential leadership could introduce a stark contrast at the Department of Defense. He would oversee an institution committed to tackling extremist influence within its ranks while continuing to claim that the issue is overblown and used to “peddle the lie of racism in the military.”
Why is ‘Deus Vult’ associated with white supremacist and far-right groups
The phrase “Deus Vult,” meaning “God wills it” in Latin, originated during the First Crusade in 1095 as a rallying cry for Christian soldiers who aimed to reclaim Jerusalem from Muslim rule. The phrase historically conveyed a sense of divine mission or purpose, but in modern times, it has been adopted by some white supremacist and far-right groups, who use it as a symbol of a perceived clash between “Western” (Christian) and “Eastern” (Islamic) cultures.
White supremacist groups have co-opted “Deus Vult” to evoke the imagery of the Crusades as a justification for racist and xenophobic ideologies, portraying their cause as a similar battle to “protect” Western civilization. This modern usage distorts the original context of the phrase, turning it into a slogan for exclusionary, extremist beliefs.
This association has made “Deus Vult” a contentious phrase in online spaces, especially in communities working to identify and counter hate speech, where it’s recognized as a dog whistle for far-right extremism.
Also read: ‘Democrats think this is Swastika’: Row over chest tattoo of Trump’s secretary of defense Pete Hegseth