Pentagon Pizza Conspiracy: US War Secretary to Order Takeout at Random
In a revealing Fox News interview, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced plans to order pizza at random to disrupt potential patterns linked to military operations, addressing the so-called ‘pizza index’ conspiracy theory. The idea is to keep the public guessing and maintain operational security by obscuring any correlation between delivery spikes and military activities.
The so-called ‘pizza index’ has become a running online joke, with social media users speculating that spikes in deliveries near the US military HQ might signal upcoming operations—or just late-night strategy sessions. The X account ‘Pentagon Pizza Report’ has over 254,300 followers, and a website called ‘Pentagon Pizza Index’ tracks six pizza shops nearby using Google Maps data.
Hegseth, a former Fox News host who became defense secretary last year, addressed the meme in the interview. When asked about the potential link between pizza orders and military operations, he responded with a laugh, suggesting that ordering pizza randomly might be a way to keep the public guessing.
“I haven’t thought of just going to the cafeteria. I’ve thought of just ordering lots of pizza on random nights,” Hegseth said. The defense chief emphasized that the move is meant to obscure any visible pattern that might be tied to military activity.
A surge in deliveries was recorded during Israel’s June strike on Iran, which was joined by Washington. The attack targeted Iranian nuclear facilities, causing heavy damage and leaving dozens dead. About an hour before Iranian state TV reported explosions in Tehran, pizza orders near the military HQ had already spiked, according to Pentagon Pizza Report.
Deliveries to the Pentagon reportedly doubled ahead of the US invasion of Panama in December 1989 and spiked again before Operation Desert Storm in 1991. This has led to the notion that the ‘pizza index’ might be a real-time indicator of military actions, though these correlations are largely anecdotal.
Hegseth’s humorous suggestion to order pizza at random is a clear nod to the ongoing internet joke, yet it underscores the challenges of maintaining operational secrecy in an increasingly transparent world. The move not only humorously defuses the conspiracy theory but also reinforces the importance of misinformation countermeasures in modern military strategy.