Downing Street rebukes Pete Hegseth over comments on allied Afghanistan troops

Downing Street has issued a rare public reprimand to United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, stating he was wrong to suggest that most non-American NATO troops did not participate in fighting in Afghanistan. The official spokesman for the Prime Minister stated on October 19, 2026, that it was wrong to diminish the contributions of allied forces, as reported by the Daily Mail and the Guardian. [1][2]

The controversy follows a speech Hegseth delivered to cadets at the University of Tennessee, where he recalled serving in Afghanistan as an army captain. According to the Daily Mail and the Guardian, Hegseth claimed that maybe five countries played a role in the fighting, which dropped to one or two by the end of the campaign. The Daily Mail added that Hegseth joked the ISAF patch stood for I Saw Americans Fighting rather than International Security Assistance Force. [1][2]

In response to the comments, Downing Street highlighted the heavy sacrifices made by British armed forces during the campaign. The Daily Mail noted that over 450 British personnel died in Afghanistan and never returned home. [1]

Peter Brian Hegseth is a former television personality and United States Army veteran who has served as the 29th United States Secretary of Defense since 2025. The position is appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate. As FTMQ News reported earlier, UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting previously met with Hegseth at the Pentagon on October 15, 2026. [6][7][9]