What did Sen. Markwayne Mullin, Trump's DHS secretary pick, say about the ‘smell’ of war?

Sen. Markwayne Mullin did not serve in the military. So when he described to Fox News what it’s like to "smell" war, critics, including a Democratic congress member,  accused the Oklahoma Republican of misleading people about his career.

President Donald Trump named Mullin his pick to replace ousted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as of March 31.

Mullin, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, was talking about the war in Iran when he told Fox News March 2 that war is unforgettable. He said:

"War is ugly, it smells bad, and if anybody’s ever been there, and been able to smell the war that’s happened around you and taste it and feel it in your nostrils and hear it, it’s something that you’ll never forget and it’s ugly." 

Mullin said Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has "been there, he’s done that. You have (Joint Chiefs of Staff) Chairman (Dan) Caine who has fought those wars in Iraq and he understands what is facing us."

Rep. Pat Ryan, D-New York, an Army veteran who served two combat tours in Iraq, responded on X, "Hey @SenMullin, what the actual f— are you talking about? Did I miss the part of your bio where you served in combat (or served in uniform at all??). Call of Duty doesn’t count."

The next day on a conservative podcast, the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, one of the hosts said to Mullin: "You are a veteran. You understand war." The host asked him about his take on the Iran war so far. 

"First of all, let me clarify," Mullin responded. "I did special assignments outside of DOD," referring to the Department of Defense. "I never wore the uniform or the flag …. I got to work alongside of those guys, and they're phenomenal individuals."

We contacted Mullin’s office to ask about the special assignments but did not receive a response.

Nothing on Mullin’s bios on his Senate or campaign websites mention military service. The websites say he’s a businessman and a former professional mixed martial arts fighter. Mullin was sworn in as a senator in 2023 after serving a decade in the House.

Mullin said he sought Afghanistan rescue mission in 2021 

The special assignment could have been a reference to Mullin’s attempt as a House member to rescue Americans in Afghanistan. On Aug. 26, 2021, suicide bombers attacked Kabul’s airport, killing 13 U.S. service members as U.S. sought to evacuate American troops and citizens from Afghanistan under Biden administration orders.

The Washington Post reported Sept. 1, 2021, based on anonymous sources, that Mullin called the U.S. ambassador to Tajikistan to request assistance in transporting a large amount of cash into the country so he could hire a helicopter to rescue Americans in Afghanistan.

Embassy officials told Mullin they could not assist his effort to skirt Tajikistan’s cash limit laws and make a dangerous trip. Mullin was angered by the response, the Post wrote.

Mullin had traveled to Greece the week prior and asked the Defense Department for permission to visit Kabul. The Pentagon denied his request, the Post wrote.

Mullin’s efforts followed an unauthorized trip to Afghanistan by Reps. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and Peter Meijer, R-Mich. Biden administration officials criticized such trips, saying they stretched government resources during a national security crisis.

In a September 2021 instagram post, Mullin wrote: "Have we been helping get Americans out of Afghanistan, yes. Is the mission continuing, yes. Am I missing, no. Did I go dark for a little, yes because it wasn’t safe to be communicating. Am I extremely disappointed in how we (the United States) left Americans behind? … That would be an understatement."

Days later, in an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier, Mullin said people had called him to ask for help to get out of Afghanistan.

Mullin said he ended up circling Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul for hours but their plane’s requests to land were denied. "They would never let us in Afghanistan," he said.

The congressman added: "I'm not Rambo. I never pretended to be Rambo." 

Days after he returned from his trip, Mullin said in a Twitter thread that an American woman and her children he had sought to help had gotten out of Afghanistan.

Mullin said in 2025 that he had "the privilege of serving the nation in Afghanistan"

In the Senate, Mullin continued to criticize the Biden administration for its Afghanistan withdrawal.

Mullin spoke about his efforts in Afghanistan many more times, including during an April 1, 2025, Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Caine’s nomination to lead the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"It’s deeply personal to me, and I know it is to you, and anyone else that’s had the privilege of serving the nation in Afghanistan," Mullin said. "But because of our disastrous withdrawal, I feel like there’s a hesitation in our military and our military families to actually step forward and make that sacrifice again. I think there’s a lot of doubt that the United States is able to stand behind what our first mission is, and then to be able to bring pride to those that sacrificed."

In a September 2024 press release Mullin wrote, "For three years, the team that I had the privilege to work alongside to get Americans out of Afghanistan has detailed the systemic failures across multiple agencies that we experienced firsthand."

Mullin made similar remarks in an August 2024 press release: "When the team I was privileged to work alongside got the first Americans out of Afghanistan (through Tajikistan) after the fall of Kabul, U.S. Ambassador Pommersheim told me he was directed by Washington ‘not to assist me or our team in any way’. To this day, no one has testified before Congress as to who gave this directive."

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