How long did Pete Hegseth serve and what was his final rank and unit at separation?

1. Career snapshot: branch, specialty and final rank

Every authoritative profile in the package describes Hegseth as having been commissioned as an infantry officer in the Army National Guard and reaching the rank of major by the end of his military career ^{[3] [1] [2]}. Encyclopedic and Defense Department biographies align on those basic facts: infantry officer, Army National Guard, final rank major ^{[3] [1]}.

2. Deployments and roles that underpin the record

Biographies consistently list deployments and assignments that substantiate his military résumé: Guantánamo Bay, Cuba; Iraq; and Afghanistan, plus duties teaching counterinsurgency and serving as a platoon leader in Iraq in some accounts ^{[2] [1]}. These deployments and awards — cited in multiple summaries as including two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman Badge — are the principal details provided about the substance of his service ^[2].

3. What sources say about length of service — and what they don’t

Some secondary sources present date ranges or summaries (for example, one profile claims service spanned 2002–2021), but that claim appears in an entertainment site and is not corroborated in the official Defense Department or established reference entries supplied here ^[4]. The Department of Defense biography and Miller Center summary describe assignments and deployments but do not list an explicit total years-of-service number or an exact separation date in the documents provided ^{[3] [2]}. Therefore, available sources do not mention a definitive service-length figure or the official separation date.

4. Where the public record agrees — and where it diverges

Agreement across the Defense Department, Britannica and Miller Center reporting: Hegseth was an infantry officer in the Army National Guard, served in Guantánamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan, and held the rank of major ^{[3] [1] [2]}. Divergence shows up in secondary or later-sourced summaries that assert specific service years (such as 2002–2021) or list the number of deployments as three; those specific numeric claims are present in some outlets but are not uniformly echoed by the official bios in the document set provided ^{[4] [1]}.

5. How to reconcile public claims if you need a precise tenure

Because the supplied official biographies do not include an explicit separation date or cumulative years served, the only way to obtain a firm answer would be to consult official personnel records or a formal Defense Department personnel release — documents not included in the current source set ^[3]. Until those records are provided, the most reliable, source-backed summary is: Army National Guard infantry officer, deployed to Guantánamo Bay/Iraq/Afghanistan, final rank major ^{[3] [2] [1]}.

6. Why this matters: rank, credibility and political context

Hegseth’s military résumé has been a central element of his public authority in politics and media; profiles and reporting repeatedly cite his Guard service and combat deployments to establish credentials for his later roles ^{[2] [1]}. At the same time, reporting from major outlets and commentators — some of which appear in this record set — has scrutinized how his military record is portrayed in political settings, making precise, sourced details important for assessing his biography ^[5].

Limitations and next steps: the sources provided do not include an official service record or separation paperwork and therefore do not state the exact number of years Hegseth served or a separation date. To confirm a precise tenure, request his official DD-214 or an authoritative personnel release from the Department of Defense or the Army National Guard; those documents are not found in the current reporting ^{[3] [2]}.