US Senator Mark Kelly (right) lodged a lawsuit against Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Pentagon over efforts to reduce his military rank in retirement following a video in which Kelly urged US personnel to refuse potentially illegal orders. Photo / Jim Watson and Brendan Smialowski, AFPUS Senator Mark Kelly (right) lodged a lawsuit against Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Pentagon over efforts to reduce his military rank in retirement following a video in which Kelly urged US personnel to refuse potentially illegal orders. The lawsuit – which names Hegseth, the Defence Department, Navy Secretary John Phelan and the department he heads – said their actions “violate numerous constitutional guarantees and have no basis in statute. The Pentagon is “aware” of the lawsuit but “does not comment on ongoing litigation”, an official said in response to a question from AFP. “Pete Hegseth is now coming after what I earned through my 25 years of military service, in violation of my rights as an American and as a retired veteran and as a United States senator,” Kelly said.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 13, 2026 01:37 UTC