After scraping his way through a bruising confirmation hearing that saw interrogations over allegations of sexual assault, harassment, and drunken behavior, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth may soon be tasked with overseeing the creation of the first-of-its-kind military sex offender registry. That is part of the Senate’s version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, a perennial must-pass vehicle in Congress.
As it currently stands, sex offender laws are governed by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), passed during the George W. Bush administration in 2006. This law expanded the amount of information shared with the public about registered sex offenders, broadened the scope of sex offenders required to register under law, and expanded the territories in which sex offenders are required to register.
Conspicuously absent in the 2006 bill is a requirement for U.S. military bases to notify service members about registered sex offenders. While Defense Department directives and federal statute ensure that many sex offenders register with their bases, that information is not always shared with service members and their families, and every service branch has a different policy. The language in the current Senate version of the NDAA would change that.
The 2026 NDAA instructs the secretary of defense to “establish and implement a policy to ensure that registered sex offenders that reside or work on military installations are identified to the respective military community, including, as necessary, through agreements with State and local law enforcement agencies.” Beyond a notification system, the legislation would also command the secretary of defense to examine whether the military should be more fully aligned with provisions of SORNA.
The bill also requires a report assessing whether the Department of Defense should be designated as a “jurisdiction for purposes of notification requirements under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.” This change would further integrate U.S. bases into the national sex offender registry system.
Bipartisan coalitions have emerged in both chambers of Congress holding Hegseth to commitments extracted during his confirmation hearing to prioritize combating sexual assault in the military. According to reports, Hegseth paid $50,000 to a woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2017.
In April, Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) wrote to Hegseth warning him off of a DOD directive that would “would significantly alter, or even terminate, large portions of the Department’s sexual assault prevention and response (SAPR) services,” following a similar letter sent in February.
Spending cuts carried out in the spring have hampered the Defense Department’s ability to monitor and respond to allegations of sexual assault in the military.
In the meantime, spending cuts carried out in the spring have hampered the DOD’s ability to monitor and respond to allegations of sexual assault in the military. The impact on the military budget has delayed the hiring of hundreds of DOD personnel slotted to respond to allegations of sexual assault.
In July, the DOD issued a notice directing military health clinics overseas to end the long-standing provision of rape evidence collection kits to civilian workers and contractors on bases overseas. The DOD quickly reversed course after Hegseth was grilled by Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D-MD) of the House Armed Services Committee. A week after the hearing, DOD issued a new guidance rescinding the previous order.
While the Trump coalition has proved relatively immune to allegations of sexual assault and harassment brought against its high-profile leaders, it would appear that when it comes to eliminating protections for service members and their families, the DOD chain of command is treading more carefully.
Reversing once-flagging recruitment numbers in the armed services has been a priority for both the Biden and Trump administrations. Recruitment has recently surged, with service branches meeting targets for the first time in years. Recruitment of female enlistees specifically was up 18 percent in 2024.
Whether the sex offender registry included in the Senate version of the bill passes into law depends on a conference committee with the House. In the meantime, there are plenty of showy and ridiculous amendments in the Senate NDAA for Hegseth to find favor with.
Take Section 341 for example, which gives the secretary of defense authority to bulk out his soldiers in U.S. special operations command: “The committee recommends a provision that would authorize the Secretary of Defense to use amounts authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Defense for Major Force Program 11 for the procurement of sports foods and third-party certified dietary supplements and the distribution of such foods and supplements to servicemembers of the U.S. Special Operations Command.” This would likely turn the Pentagon into the single biggest consumer of supplements, pre-workout, and energy drinks overnight.
Or Section 628, “Prohibition on procurement and commissary sales of seafood originating or processed in the People’s Republic of China,” a relatively self-explanatory change that would see crab, tuna, and sashimi imported from China banned from military canteens across the country and overseas.
Of particular note to Hegseth, who has lambasted transgender service members and senior officers, is a combination of NDAA amendments that would “prohibit the use of funds available to the Department of Defense, and the use of military medical treatment facilities, to perform or facilitate sex change surgeries.” In February, in one of his first directives, Hegseth instructed the DOD to terminate enlistees who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
The same week, Hegseth rescinded a Biden-era directive that provided travel reimbursement for service members and families traveling off-base for reproductive health care, including fertility treatments and abortion.
But while taking away care for some, the Senate has also put forward at least one additive medical provision in this year’s bill. Section 705 mandates “fertility treatment for certain members of the Uniformed Services and dependents,” paving the way for an exponential increase in babies well suited to fight in America’s forever wars.
As Congress rounds out its summer recess before returning to Washington to hash out the details of the NDAA, Hegseth took to the White House podium to announce the local National Guard deployment into Washington, D.C. “I would say it’s a situation where we’re here to support law enforcement, and the more we can free them up to do their job, the more effective they can be.” Whether Hegseth will show the same enthusiasm when it comes to creating a congressionally mandated military sex offender registry remains to be seen.