Justin Overbaugh, a retired U.S. Army colonel, was appointed Deputy Under Secretary of War for Intelligence and Security by Secretary Pete Hegseth and confirmed by the Senate in September 2025. The role oversees defense intelligence and security agencies and shapes policy to advance national security and military operations.

Overbaugh has a 25‑year career in intelligence, including leadership positions in the Middle East, the United States, and Europe. His public statements and social media activity have attracted attention. He has posted a black‑and‑white image of an AK‑47 with the caption “Come and Take It,” shared the phrase “Weak men create hard times,” and responded to a child’s drawing of a soldier by asking if the child was old enough to join the Army. He has advocated for carrying weapons to church and described lax immigration policies as “suicidal empathy.” He has expressed support for Germany remaining ethnically German and shared a link to the far‑right political party Alternative für Deutschland, whose factions have been linked to neo‑Nazi movements. He has also praised British far‑right activist Tommy Robinson.

Overbaugh regularly promotes the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, a denomination founded by pastor Doug Wilson, who has made statements opposing women’s suffrage and suggesting that homosexuality be criminalized. Overbaugh attended Christ Church DC, planted by Wilson, and shared links to Wilson’s sermons. He has endorsed Stephen Wolfe, author of The Case for Christian Nationalism, which argues for a civil magistrate to restrict blasphemy and heresy, and has said that America cannot be both Judeo‑Christian and Christian. Wolfe recently announced the Institute of Christian Politics, a training program in North Carolina; Overbaugh replied asking how he could help.

In a February 2025 hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Overbaugh pledged to transform the Department of War into an agile organization and highlighted a modernization of the National Background Investigation Services, including an expansion of a program that allows agencies to grant interim clearances while full investigations proceed. Jacob Bliss, a Pentagon deputy press secretary, called Overbaugh “a qualified, patriotic professional” and said the agency was “proud to have him as a political appointee.” The Pentagon declined to comment on reports that the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering posted references to the QAnon conspiracy theory and did not respond to inquiries about the hiring of deputy press secretary Kingsley Wilson, who has expressed extremist views including support for Germany’s AFD party.