The Big Story 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is warning civilian and military employees that the Pentagon is “tracking” any comments from them that celebrate or mock the assassination of Charlie Kirk. 

© AP

“We are tracking all these very closely — and will address, immediately. Completely unacceptable,” Hegseth wrote Thursday on social media.

Hegseth was responding to a statement from chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, who earlier said 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,” using the Trump administration’s preferred name for the Department of Defense.

They did not mention any specific examples of personnel who had reacted positively to Kirk’s death.

Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot in the neck at the campus of Utah Valley University on Wednesday. After a search, officials identified the suspected shooter as Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah man.

Both Republican and Democratic political figures — including all living former U.S. presidents — have condemned Kirk’s assassination, but a small number of social media users have mocked or celebrated the killing, drawing outrage. 

The heads of military services also have warned those under them that any inappropriate comments on Kirk will be met with retribution. Navy Secretary John Phelan cautioned sailors, Marines and civilians they “will be dealt with swiftly and decisively” should they bring “discredit” on the department.

“I am aware of posts displaying contempt toward a fellow American who was assassinated,” he wrote on the social platform X late Thursday. “I want to be very clear: any uniformed or civilian employee of the Department of the Navy who acts in a manner that brings discredit upon the Department, the [U.S. Navy] or the [Marine Corps] will be dealt with swiftly and decisively.”

The official X account for the U.S. Coast Guard, meanwhile, also said it “is aware of inappropriate personal social media activity made by a member regarding recent political violence,” though did not provide specifics.  

Read the full report at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.

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Branch out with a different read from The Hill:

Suspect in Charlie Kirk shooting identified as Tyler Robinson

The FBI has taken a man named Tyler Robinson into custody as a suspect in connection to the assassination on Wednesday of conservative activist Charlie Kirk following a multiday search. “Good morning ladies and gentlemen — we got him,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) said at a Friday morning press conference. …

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