Anti-war protesters crashed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s autonomous warfare panel in Washington, screaming insults over Iran before security dragged them out one by one.
Six protesters took turns interrupting Hegseth’s Wednesday roundtable at the Association of the United States Army conference, turning a discussion on drones and robotic systems into a series of shouted accusations. Security removed each disruptor from the Walter E. Washington Convention Center room as the session continued.
Daily Caller reporting described a coordinated effort in which the protesters spaced themselves out and spoke one after another to stretch the disruption. The panel, titled “Project Agincourt: Building a Wartime Arsenal Ready to Adapt at the Edges,” examined Pentagon work on unmanned systems alongside Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle, Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, and Assistant Secretary of War Derrick Anderson. Owen West moderated.
Fox News reported that at least five foul-mouthed demonstrators derailed the first half hour, with Hegseth first answering sarcastically and later showing clear irritation as the interruptions kept coming.
One man in the middle aisle yelled directly at Hegseth in full view of the room.
A protester shouted:
“Pete Hegseth, you’re a f***ing war criminal, you’re a Nazi.”
Others screamed “You’re a war criminal” while being dragged out. One protester yelled that money was going “to kill children in Gaza while children in America are starving.” A woman removed by security shouted that everyone present was supporting “this war criminal” and that “you are all, all, to blame.”
Fox News captured another line directed at Hegseth: “You’re not a warrior you’re a coward!” along with cries that children in Gaza are starving and that he is a war criminal. After one outburst the Pentagon chief quipped, “She thinks highly of me.” At least one woman had to be carried out by multiple officers while she kept screaming.
The roundtable was still underway when the initial wave of removals ended, leaving open the chance of further interruptions.
The AUSA scene followed earlier disruptions of Hegseth’s congressional testimony. On April 30 a protester affiliated with CODEPINK interrupted him before the Senate Armed Services Committee, accused him of war crimes tied to operations in Iran, and was arrested by Capitol Police, according to the group.
On July 21 four protesters interrupted his appearance before the Senate Appropriations Committee as he sought billions in additional Pentagon funding. They demanded an end to the Iran War; officers removed and arrested them, again according to CODEPINK. The group’s role in the October conference action was not established in the reporting.
Those earlier episodes now sit alongside wider political fights over the war and Hegseth’s tenure, including Democrats’ public calls for resignations over Iran fallout.
Hegseth attended the AUSA event to review Pentagon efforts on drones, robotic vehicles, and unmanned systems. On Sept. 30 he announced plans for a new four-star Autonomous Warfare Command meant to expand the military’s use of artificial intelligence and robotic systems, according to the Department of War.
Project Agincourt is the initiative aimed at speeding adoption of those autonomous weapons. The conference itself is the Army association’s annual gathering in Washington that showcases munitions and weapons manufacturers. While protesters framed the session around the Iran conflict, the scheduled topic remained the future of unmanned combat systems.
Pressure on Hegseth has also come from inside government channels, with top military leaders previously warning that Iran deployments looked unsustainable and carried homeland risk.
The conference disruptions arrived less than a week after President Donald Trump dealt with repeated interruptions at an Oct. 7 campaign rally in San Antonio, Texas. The Associated Press reported that at least a dozen demonstrators disrupted his remarks; police escorted some out. Trump briefly stepped away from the microphone during one interruption and addressed the ongoing Iran War.
That rally and the AUSA panel show the same tactic, sequential shouting from the floor, aimed at senior officials discussing or defending the conflict. No arrests or charges for the convention-center protesters were reported; security’s role was limited to removal so the discussion could resume.
Political heat around Hegseth has included a Republican congressman’s impeachment push now headed toward a lame-duck showdown, separate from the protest theatrics.
Internal Pentagon friction has surfaced as well, after Army Secretary Dan Driscoll stepped down following months of tension with Hegseth.
Voters have noticed the turmoil; one recent survey even named Hegseth the Trump official they expect to leave next.
None of that polling or personnel drama changes what happened inside the convention hall: a defense panel on autonomous systems was forced to pause while protesters traded turns at the microphone and security hauled them into the hallway.
Serious work on drones, AI, and wartime readiness still has to get done, even when activists decide the loudest slogan in the room matters more than the hearing itself.