Pete Hegseth elevated the Pentagon’s special operations office to under-secretary status and revived its World War II OSS name, giving elite forces more funding and clout.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered a structural upgrade for America’s special operations leadership on Thursday, pairing higher rank with a historic wartime title.
The Assistant Secretary of War for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict now holds precedence equal to an under secretary. The office has been redesignated after the Office of Strategic Services, the World War II outfit that carried out clandestine missions and later helped seed the CIA. The move comes with reallocated money, new billets, and wider buying power while the Pentagon seeks a permanent statutory post.
The Daily Caller reported the details from a Pentagon press release and related statements. Hegseth framed the change in plain terms.
"It is time for a bold, foundational change,"
Hegseth said in the statement released with the redesignation.
The package is concrete. Officials described at least $45 million in annual reallocated funding, 100 dedicated military and civilian positions, and expanded acquisition authority for the special operations portfolio.
Pentagon language said the initiative would increase investment in Special Operations Forces modernization, major platform recapitalization, and readiness. The aim is higher prioritization for units that handle the nation’s most demanding missions.
A permanent Under Secretary of Strategic Services would still need legislation and congressional approval. Until then, the elevation in precedence and the OSS redesignation stand as the immediate steps inside the Department of War.
The Office of Strategic Services account tied to the department posted the day before the press release, marking 81 years since the original wartime office.
"Built by some of WWII’s most visionary minds, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) carried American resolve into the hardest places and against the most determined enemies. It embodied the determination of Americans who believed they could achieve the impossible. Today, after 81 years, the OSS returns. Our operators deserve a voice equal to the burden placed upon their shoulders. @ASWAndersonSOF advocated for a Secretariat for Special Operations that operates in both name and function, setting the pace, driving coordination, and ensuring SOF has the resources needed. This redesignation strengthens SOF representation within @DeptofWar and reaffirms America’s commitment to the forces entrusted with the Nation’s most demanding missions."
The post credited @ASWAndersonSOF with pushing for a secretariat that works in both name and function.
The Trump administration has heavily prioritized special operations and clandestine work. Reporting tied to the redesignation noted CIA activity authorized in Venezuela in October 2025 and later action in which Delta Force ousted Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. Background references also pointed to ongoing pressure points, including Iran, and to anti-cartel and narco-smuggling missions that lean on elite units.
Those missions explain the push for rank and resources. Special operations forces often work with small footprints, high risk, and long timelines. Giving their civilian leadership under-secretary-level precedence is meant to match that load with budget access, acquisition speed, and a seat closer to the top of the department.
The original OSS was built for exactly that kind of work in World War II: unconventional warfare, intelligence, and operations behind enemy lines. Restoring the name signals continuity with that tradition while the modern force fights cartels, hostile regimes, and other irregular threats.
Elevation in precedence and the office rename can move inside the executive branch. A lasting Under Secretary of Strategic Services cannot. The Pentagon is pursuing legislation for that permanent post. An assistant under secretary slot would also require congressional approval.
Until lawmakers act, the redesignation and the $45 million-plus reallocation, the 100 positions, and the broader acquisition authority are the tools now in place. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.
For taxpayers and for the troops who run the hardest raids and longest shadow campaigns, the test is simple. Rank on paper must turn into faster gear, steadier funding, and clearer authority when missions hit the ground.
Elite operators already carry the heaviest load. Matching their voice and their budget to that burden is the least a serious country can do.
