In this advisory, the “Secretary of War” is the civilian Cabinet official who leads the Department of War (the rebranded Department of Defense). He oversees the entire department, is the principal defense/war‑policy adviser to the president, and has top‑level authority over how the U.S. military is organized, equipped, and used, subject to laws passed by Congress.
Legally, this is the same position long known as the Secretary of Defense; Executive Order 14347 allows the secretary to use the secondary title “Secretary of War.”
The “Department of War” is the Trump administration’s rebranding of the U.S. Department of Defense.
Executive Order 14347 (September 5, 2025) authorized the Department of Defense to use “Department of War” as an official secondary title and allowed its leaders (including the Secretary of Defense) to use corresponding titles like “Secretary of War.” In law, it is still the Department of Defense; in day‑to‑day communications and on its website (war.gov), it now calls itself the Department of War but performs the same functions as the Defense Department.
Yes. Pete Hegseth is currently serving as Secretary of War.
According to the official Department of War website, he was sworn in on January 25, 2025, as the 29th Secretary of Defense before the department’s name was changed, and he is now listed as the sitting Secretary of War. His official biography is published on war.gov at the link below.
The Los Angeles Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) is one of 65 U.S. Military Entrance Processing Stations run by the United States Military Entrance Processing Command (USMEPCOM). It is located in El Segundo, California.
At LA MEPS, applicants for all branches of the military:
The USO notes that LA MEPS is the busiest MEPS in the nation, swearing in roughly 12,000 new service members each year.
To “preside over the oath of enlistment” means the official (here, Secretary Hegseth) conducts the enlistment ceremony and personally administers the legally required Oath of Enlistment.
In practice, this means he will stand before the recruits, have them raise their right hand, and lead them in reciting the oath prescribed in federal law (10 U.S.C. § 502) promising to support and defend the U.S. Constitution and obey lawful orders. Any commissioned officer may administer this oath; having the Secretary of War do it makes the ceremony more symbolic and high‑profile.
According to the advisory, the Secretary’s remarks at this LA MEPS event will be livestreamed on:
Members of the public can watch by going to war.gov and its Live Events/press section at the scheduled time or by searching for the event on DVIDS and the Department of War’s official social channels.
The advisory does not say the event is open to the general public, and the Los Angeles MEPS is a secure Department of Defense facility.
By default, MEPS facilities limit in‑person access to recruits, staff, and specifically invited guests (such as family or accredited media) who pass base security. There is no indication in the advisory of public walk‑in access. Members of the public should expect to view the event via the livestream rather than attending inside the MEPS building.
The advisory itself does not explicitly promise an archive, but based on standard Department of War/Defense practice:
So it is likely—but not guaranteed—that a recording and transcript will be posted on war.gov and DVIDS after the event.