Hegseth and staff scolded by guard after laughter heard at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

A soldier guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier issued a verbal reprimand to a group of advisers and staff with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth following a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.

Video shows Hegseth taking photos on the empty steps in front of the tomb with his wife, Jennifer, chief of staff Ricky Buria, deputy chief of staff Patrick Weaver and senior adviser Tami Radabaugh.

As the group broke from taking photos, a loud laugh could be heard, and the soldier guarding the tomb shouted that “all visitors will maintain an atmosphere of silence and respect at all times”.

Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s top spokesman, said that “while commemorating this solemn day, a soldier correctly and respectfully reminded everyone to maintain decorum”.

“The secretary and the entire department have always honoured – and will always honour – the sacrifices our military men and women have made to keep America safe,” he added.

The tomb is considered one of the most solemn and revered war memorials in the US, and it houses the final resting place of unidentified soldiers from World War I, World War II, and the Korean war.

It has been guarded around the clock – rain or shine – by a soldier from the US Army’s 3rd Infantry Regiment, also known as “The Old Guard”, since 1948.

Hegseth and his staff were at the tomb as part of a larger ceremony commemorating Veterans Day that was also attended by US President Donald Trump and Vice-President J.D. Vance.

The incident comes less than a day after Hegseth narrowly survived an effort to impeach him by lawmakers in Congress on Tuesday afternoon.

The effort was led by Kentucky Republican congressman Thomas Massie and backed by Democrats.

However, while Hegseth’s critics were not successful in Tuesday’s vote, Republicans may have only delayed efforts to impeach the defence secretary. With Democrats set to take control of the House and Senate in January, those efforts are likely to be renewed.

Meanwhile, Hegseth rebuked the effort on Tuesday in his first news conference in months, portraying Massie as a rogue lawmaker and arguing he had committed none of the high crimes required in the Constitution for his removal.

A core part of his argument included the assertion that criticisms of him and his handling of the US military were tantamount to an indictment against the nation’s service members and their successes.

“On the eve of Veterans Day, these resolutions tell every one of them that their service was a crime,” Hegseth said on Tuesday morning.

“This is not patriotism,” Hegseth argued. “This is sabotage.”

The reaction from Democrats was swift.

Shortly after the incident, congresswoman Gwen Moore, a Democrat from Wisconsin, said the incident showed that Hegseth was showing “his utter lack of fitness for his office”.

“One day after narrowly avoiding impeachment, he shows his contempt for our men and women in uniform by disrespecting the sanctity of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” she said in a social media post.