Hegseth says 'no punishment' for Army pilots who flew near Kid Rock's house

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that Army pilots would not be punished after flying attack helicopters near singer Kid Rock's house over the weekend in an apparent show of support for the vocal backer of President Donald Trump.



Hegseth's announcement, in a social media post, followed remarks by Trump who appeared to play down the incident near the musician's house in Nashville, Tennessee.



"They probably shouldn't have been doing it. But they like Kid Rock. I like Kid Rock," Trump said. "Maybe they were trying to defend him."



Reuters, citing a U.S. official, reported earlier on Tuesday that aircrew involved in the incident had been suspended after appearing to deviate from their mission.



The U.S. military is supposed to be apolitical, loyal to the U.S. Constitution and independent of any party or political movement.



Rock posted a video on X on Saturday, standing in front of his swimming pool and saluting one of the helicopters.



Hegseth, who has a home in Tennessee, praised Kid Rock as he exonerated the crew.