Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon picks raise questions over Trump family business ties
Two advisers have links to a venture fund co-investing in US defense companies that benefit from federal spending Pete Hegseth ’s appointments to a key Pentagon advisory body include two men with ties to the venture capital fund where Donald Trump Jr is a partner, which has lucrative investments in military and space technology. Defense Policy Board appointee Marc Andreessen’s firm, Andreessen…
Two advisers, Marc Andreessen and Blake Masters, have been appointed to a key Pentagon advisory body due to their involvement with a venture capital fund. Andreessen's firm, Andreessen Horowitz, and Masters' connections with 1789 Capital, a Trump family business, have led to questions over potential conflicts of interest. The two funds co-invest in defense companies that have received billions in federal loans and contracts since the second Trump administration.
Critics argue that such advisory committees can have conflicts of interest, as appointed individuals may seek government business to benefit their employer or clients. The board, established in 1985, was controversial in the run-up to the 2003 Iraq invasion, with nine members having ties to defense contractors. Hegseth disbanded the board in April 2025 but reconstituted it in June 2026, citing a need for "fresh thinking" and "bold changes."
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