The Pentagon, led by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, is cracking down on service members who post anti-Charlie Kirk messaging, following Kirk's assassination. 

Just the News reports that Hegseth warned military members that there will be consequences for such messaging.

Hegseth issued the warning publicly. Take a look:

We are tracking all these very closely — and will address, immediately. Completely unacceptable. https://t.co/9weALT5Pb7

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) September 11, 2025

"We are tracking..."

Sean Parnell, Hegseth's assistant at the Pentagon, was the first to put out a statement saying that the War Department has "zero tolerance" for any service member who looks "to celebrate or mock" Kirk's assassination.

Parnell wrote:

It is unacceptable for military personnel and Department of War civilians to celebrate or mock the assassination of a fellow American. The Department of War has zero tolerance for it.

Hegseth responded with a message of his own, confirming this "zero tolerance" approach.

Hegseth wrote, "We are tracking all these very closely — and will address, immediately. Completely unacceptable."

Just the News further reports:

Navy Secretary John Phelan, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, and the Coast Guard have also warned they are aware of "inappropriate comments concerning recent political violence," and such comments are counter to core American values.

Background

Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated this past week, while participating in a college campus event in Utah. The alleged shooter has been identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson.

While the assassination has mostly received bipartisan condemnation, there are some on the political left who have tried to justify the assassination, while others have outright celebrated it.

The New York Post reports:

In the wake of the 31-year-old conservative influencer’s murder Wednesday, online sleuths have uncovered numerous sick social media posts from public officials, teachers, professors and even members of the armed services ghoulishly cheering or mocking Kirk’s assassination.

Many of these individuals are already facing the consequences of their actions, namely, termination from their place of employment. The Post reports that the Pentagon, under Hegseth's leadership, is doing the same, writing, "Several service members have already been terminated over such posts." The outlet adds, however, "The exact number of armed service members disciplined is unclear."

The Post goes on to provide an example of one of the terminations. It reports:

A Marine Corps recruiter was fired Thursday after posting an image of the influential Turning Point USA founder on Instagram with the caption: “Another racist man popped.” “The Marine in question has been relieved of his recruiting duties, and the matter is currently under investigation.” Capt. Austin Gallegos told Task & Purpose.