Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Sen. Tom Cotton attributed increased Army recruiting numbers to "America First" leadership and "the Trump effect." 

However, data indicates that recruiting numbers began to improve months before the U.S. Presidential election, according to a former official.

"You had some number of young men and women who didn't want to join the army over the last four years under Joe Biden and Christine Wormuth, the former secretary of the Army, when they thought it was more focused on Wokeness and DEI and climate change," Cotton told Fox's "America's Newsroom." "That's not why young men and women join our military. They do it because they love the country." 

The uptick in recruiting started months before the election on Nov. 5.

"No, it did not all start in December," former Army Secretary Christine Wormuth, who served until Jan. 20, said in an interview with Fox News.

ARMY RECRUITING SHATTERS RECORDS AFTER PRESIDENT TRUMP ELECTION WIN

"Army's recruiting started getting better much earlier. We really started seeing the numbers, the monthly numbers, go up in February of 2024. We were seeing sort of in the high 5000 contracts per month, and that accelerated, you know, into the spring all the way into August, when the Army really hit a peak."

Starting in October 2023, the Army put 1,200 more recruiters in the field. By September 2024, before the election, the Army announced it had exceeded its recruiting goals. 

The groundwork was laid that October when Wormuth and Gen. Randy George, the Army chief, began a sweeping initiative to help those who did not meet academic standards or fitness requirements. The six-week pre-boot camp, called the Future Soldier Prep Course, helps lower-performing recruits meet enlistment standards. They also moved away from just recruiting in high schools to posting on job message boards. Recruiters got trained by Amazon, Wells Fargo and other industry leaders in talent acquisition. Additionally, the Army brought back the "Be All That You Can Be" branding campaign from the 1980s.

"We've been selecting soldiers who have personalities that are more suited to recruiting. We improved our marketing very dramatically in terms of being very data driven and very targeted. And then, of course, the future Soldier Prep course, which the Army established some time ago, has been a big success and has accounted last year for about 25% of the new recruits that came in," Wormuth said. "If you look at our Army ads, we show young people, you know, jumping out of helicopters. We show kids doing, you know, night patrols in the jungle."

DEMOCRATS PRESS ARMY SECRETARY NOMINEE IF ‘READINESS’ AFFECTED BY SOUTHERN BORDER DEPLOYMENTS

Army data shows the Army has struggled with recruiting numbers since COVID, including a shortfall of 15,000 recruits in 2022.

It reported record-breaking recruitment in December 2024, with nearly 350 recruits enlisting daily and the total number of active duty soldiers reaching 5877 recruits that month. Secretary Hegseth praised the recruiting numbers in a post on X.

"@USArmy: @USAREC had their most productive December in 15 years by enlisting 346 Soldiers daily into the World's greatest #USArmy!

"Our Recruiters have one of the toughest jobs - inspiring the next generation of #Soldiers to serve.

"Congratulations and keep up the great work!"

However, August of last year, three months prior to the election, saw a higher number of recruits than in December – 7,415 recruits compared to the 5,877 in December. January 2025 still has not surpassed August 2024 for the highest monthly count of the past year. 

In other words, the positive recruiting trend began before the election.

ARMY SEC NOMINEE QUESTIONS WHETHER MILITARY PILOTS SHOULD TRAIN NEAR DC AIRPORT

The increased recruiting numbers resulted from more women joining. Women made up 19% of the recruits last year, the highest rate to date. 

"For example, right now, 16% of the overall Army is women. And so, having a year where almost 20% of the new recruits are women is a notable increase," Wormuth said. "In 2024, we also had the highest ever recruiting year for Hispanics." 

There is a lag of about 10 to 12 weeks from the time a recruit enters a recruiting office and actually signs up due to medical exams and other paperwork.

"The biggest reasons young people are hesitant to join the Army is because of fear of death or injury, fear of leaving their families, a sense that maybe somehow, you know, joining the Army will put their lives on hold for a period of time," Wormuth said. "Concerns about so-called wokeness are very low on the list of obstacles for most young people. And the last time the Army ran that survey, we didn't really see a change. That remains to be a small concern." 

During its recruiting crisis, the Army had seen a drop in the number of families who typically send their children to serve, families whose members have served for generations. Many of those families tended to be White and from one of the 10 states that make up nearly half of the recruits: Texas (13.3%), California (10.5%), Florida (9.7%), Georgia (5.1%), North Carolina (4.6%), New York (4.3%), Virginia (2.9%), Ohio (2.8%), Illinois (2.6%) and Pennsylvania (2.4%). 

There is no data suggesting a surge in White males joining the Army last year. In FY2024, 40% of the Army recruits were Caucasian, 25% were Black and 26% were Hispanic.

"From the data we saw, there was no discernible change in young White men joining the Army compared to the spring of 2024. The Army had about 7,400 recruits in August, and in December it was about 5,800," Wormuth said.

The Army is also set to expand its basic training capacity in the spring.

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"U.S. Army Recruiting Command is on track to exceed the fiscal year 2025 recruitment goal of 61,000 new Soldiers and an additional 10,000 in the Delayed Entry Program," Madison Bonzo, Army Recruiting Command spokeswoman, said in a statement. "As of today, USAREC has contracted 59% of the current FY25 goal. Our success couldn't be possible without the hard work of our Recruiters, continued transformation of the recruiting enterprise and modernization initiatives to attract qualified talent into America's most lethal fighting force." 

Wormuth said, "I would say we saw in the Army recruiting numbers, we started seeing us really get traction in February of 2024."  

"And we continued to build those numbers up to about, you know, high 5,000, 6,000 a month in August. And the Army has continued that momentum going into the end of the year. And I think the winds are at the Army's back for coming into 2025," she continued. 

Former Army officials warn that it is dangerous to link Army recruiting successes to the election cycle, since the military is supposed to be apolitical. Soldiers sign up not to serve a president or a party but to serve the Constitution.

West Point has disbanded a number of identity-based clubs at the military academy to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive orders and new Pentagon guidance, Fox News has confirmed. 

Some of the clubs no longer sanctioned by the university include the Asian-Pacific Forum, the Korean-American relations seminar, the Latin Cultural Club, the National Society of Black Engineers Club and the Society of Women Engineers Club. 

The U.S. Military Academy communications office said the clubs had been dissolved because they were affiliated with the DEI office. 

"In accordance with recent guidance, the U.S. Military Academy is reviewing programs and activities affiliated with our former office of diversity, equity and inclusion," the office told Fox News Digital in a statement. "The clubs disbanded yesterday were sponsored by that office."

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Trump has instituted sweeping policies to eradicate DEI across the federal government since taking office. 

A dozen clubs were disbanded, according to the memo, while other clubs have had their activities paused until the directorate of cadet activities can review and revalidate their status. 

WEST POINT MILITARY ACADEMY DROPS 'DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY' FROM MISSION STATEMENT

"More than one hundred clubs remain at the U.S. Military Academy, and our leadership will continue to provide opportunities for cadets to pursue their academic, military, and physical fitness interests while following Army policy, directives, and guidance."

The memo, circulated around the university and verified by Fox News Digital, says such clubs are no longer permitted to "use government time, resources or facilities." 

Last year, the Supreme Court eliminated race- and gender-based admissions policies at universities but left a carve-out for military institutions like West Point. It later rejected a challenge to the exceptions for military academies, allowing their affirmative action programs to move forward. 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote late last month in a memo that DEI practices are "incompatible" with the values of DOD and instructed the Pentagon to stop celebrating "identity" months like Black History Month and Pride Month. 

Army secretary nominee Daniel Driscoll questioned whether Army helicopters should be flying training missions in one of the nation’s most congested flight paths after Wednesday's tragic Washington, D.C.-area collision.

"It’s an accident that seems to be preventable," Driscoll, an Army veteran, said during a Thursday confirmation hearing at the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"There are appropriate times to take risk and inappropriate times to take risk," he said. "I think we need to look at where is an appropriate time to take training risk, and it may not be at an airport like Reagan." 

Sixty-four people were aboard the American Airlines flight inbound from Wichita, Kan., which collided with an Army Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter just before it was set to touch down at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. Authorities do not believe anyone survived. 

BLACK HAWK CHOPPER UNIT WAS ON ANNUAL PROFICIENCY TRAINING FLIGHT, HEGSETH SAYS

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed the three soldiers who were aboard the chopper were a "fairly experienced crew" doing a "required annual night evaluation." 

"We anticipate that the investigation will quickly be able to determine whether the aircraft was in the quarter at the right altitude at the time of the incident," he said. 

In a blunt Truth Social post, President Donald Trump called the crash "a bad situation that looks like it should have been prevented."

AMERICAN FIGURE SKATER SAYS HE WAS BARRED FROM FLIGHT THAT COLLIDED WITH ARMY HELICOPTER

"The airplane was on a perfect and routine line of approach to the airport. The helicopter was going straight at the airplane for an extended period of time," Trump wrote. "It is a CLEAR NIGHT, the lights on the plane were blazing, why didn’t the helicopter go up or down, or turn. Why didn’t the control tower tell the helicopter what to do instead of asking if they saw the plane."

Ronald Reagan Washington National, an airport owned by the federal government, has been the subject of debate for years. It has one of the shortest runways in the industry, yet Congress approved additional flight slots in 2024 as part of its Federal Aviation Administration bill. The flight from Wichita, Kan., had just been added in 2024. 

The airport faces complicated aviation logistics near hyperprotected airspace near the Pentagon, White House and Capitol, but lawmakers have pushed to keep it open due to the convenience of its proximity to D.C. 

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"We’re gonna have to work together to make sure that never happens again," Driscoll said in his Thursday confirmation hearing, promising to take a hard look at what training was needed, particularly amid the Army's increased use of its vertical lift aircraft. 

Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked a helicopter if it had the arriving plane in sight, according to air traffic control audio. The controller made another radio call to the helicopter moments later, saying "PAT 25 pass behind the CRJ" — apparently telling the chopper to wait for the Bombardier CRJ-701 twin-engine jet to pass. There was no reply, according to the audio. Seconds after that, the aircraft collided.

Military helicopters regularly cross over the D.C.-area airport's flight paths to ferry senior government officials over the Potomac River into D.C. No senior officials were on board the downed Black Hawk, according to the Army. 

Fox News' Chad Pergram and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Democrats sounded off about the White House sending U.S. troops to the southern border, but Army secretary nominee Daniel Driscoll insisted that he did not believe it would affect readiness. 

"Is there a cost in terms of readiness?" Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the top Democrat in the Senate Armed Services Committee, asked Driscoll during his confirmation hearing on Thursday. 

"The Army has a long, 249 history of balancing multiple objectives," Driscoll said. "If this is important to the commander-in-chief, the Army will execute it." 

"I think border security is national security," he went on. "We’ve had soldiers at the border for a number of years, and the Army stands ready for any mission."

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., also voiced concerns about sending the military to the U.S. border.

"We're seeing now active duty military, Army, be sent to the border, being sent on missions right now to support DHS," she said. "But according to our Constitution, the US military active duty cannot perform law enforcement roles." 

ARMY SEC NOMINEE QUESTIONS WHETHER MILITARY PILOTS SHOULD TRAIN NEAR DC AIRPORT

Slotkin, a former CIA agent, said she was concerned that without proper training an incident could occur that would turn public opinion against the nation’s armed forces. 

"I'm deeply concerned that active duty troops are going to be forced into law enforcement roles, and we're already hearing stories that really, really touch right on the line," she said.  

"They're not properly trained. There's going to be an incident," she said. "Someone's going to get hurt, there's going to be some sort of blow up, and suddenly we're going to have a community that’s deeply, deeply angry at uniformed military who were just told to go and drive those DHS vehicles through that building, perform support for somebody." 

Slotkin asked Driscoll if he would follow an order from President Donald Trump or Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth if it "contravened with the Constitution." 

"I reject the premise that the president or the secretary would ask for an order like that, but I will always follow the law," Driscoll said. 

HEGSETH SHARES DETAILS ON BLACK HAWK CHOPPER TRAINING FLIGHT

Slotkin shot back: "Your predecessor, Army Secretary [Mark] Esper, had this exact thing that he wrote about in his book, 82nd Airborne Army was asked to come in and clean up a peaceful protest in Washington, DC. So I reject your rejection that this is theoretical."

"We’re counting on you to protect the integrity of a non-political military that is not trained in law enforcement roles." 

Immediately upon taking office, Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border and 1,500 active duty troops — 1,000 Army personnel and 500 Marines — deployed to the southern border. 

There already were 2,500 U.S. service members stationed at the southern border. The troops were ordered there in May 2023 during the Biden administration under Title 10 authorities approved by former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and are planned to be there until the end of fiscal year 2025, according to a U.S. Northern Command spokesperson. 

"Whatever is needed at the border will be provided," Hegseth said Monday, hinting at the possibility of additional deployments in the coming weeks.

Trump also signed an executive order designating drug cartels in Latin America as foreign terrorist organizations, granting the military greater authority to interdict them. 

An investigation into how an American Airlines jet carrying dozens of passengers and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided midair at Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C., will likely involve communication between the two aircraft, Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said Thursday morning.

"What we’re seeing right now is what happens if you have a lack of communication or a misunderstanding," Rounds, who serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told "Fox & Friends First."

Rounds said investigators will look at everything that happened during the flight, including potential mechanical breakdowns and avionic system failures, but he believes much of the discussion surrounding the collision will focus on communication between the aircraft and whether that communication was accurate.

"I’m sure there will be some second guessing, but I suspect that when everything is done and the dust settles the chances are really good that they’ll talk about a lack of communication between the aircraft," Rounds said.

LIVE UPDATES: AMERICAN AIRLINES PLANE, MILITARY HELICOPTER COLLIDE NEAR REGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT IN WASHINGTON, DC

The cause of the collision remains unknown in the hours after the accident. Hundreds of first responders conducted a massive search-and-rescue operation for survivors in the frigid waters of the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia. The operation turned into a recovery later Thursday morning. More than 30 bodies have been recovered so far, national security advisor Michael Waltz told Fox News.

The collision happened around 9 p.m. EST when a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 regional jet collided in midair with a Sikorsky H-60 helicopter while on approach to Runway 33 at Reagan National Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.

PSA was operating as Flight 5342 for American Airlines, and it departed from Wichita, Kansas. American Airlines said the jet was carrying 60 passengers and four crew members.

An Army official said three soldiers were onboard the helicopter as the aircraft was flying a training mission. The Army described the helicopter as a UH-60 Blackhawk based at Fort Belvoir in Virginia.

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All takeoffs and landings from the airport were halted as dive teams and helicopters from law enforcement agencies across the region scoured the site for survivors. Images showed boats around a partly submerged wing and what appeared to be the mangled wreckage of the plane’s fuselage.

Reagan Airport will reopen at 11 a.m. Thursday, the FAA said. 

Rounds said while questions over safety around the airport will begin to surface, it is important to take care of the families of those onboard the two aircraft and first responders.

"This is a terrible tragedy," he said. "Right now, I think we hold those families close and we think about them, we think about the crews and also those first responders that have been out there all night long."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Surrounded by loved ones, retired U.S. Army Col. William "Bill" A. Connelly, 100, was honored at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Orlando on Friday evening during a flag retreat ceremony. 

Connelly stood tall and proud as he saluted the flag that had been risen from half-staff in honor of the late former President Jimmy Carter before being lowered and folded to be given to him. 

Afterward, Disney cast members lined up to shake Connelly's hand. Something unfamiliar happened next, when park visitors also lined up to thank him for his service.

Connelly said he felt "great" after the ceremony. The veteran and his family are not only Disney fans who have been to the parks and on a Disney cruise, but his son-in-law is a Disney cast member. 

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When asked what his secret is to a long life, Connelly said, "Having happy people around you."

Connelly, originally from King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, was drafted into the Army when he was 18. He served with the 115th Regiment of the 29th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army, and fought in the battle on D-Day at Omaha Beach, Normandy, according to a biography shared by his family.

PRESIDENT BIDEN AWARDS MEDAL OF HONOR TO SEVEN ARMY VETERANS

The Army allowed him to finish high school, go to college where he was in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps, earn his bachelor of arts degree and re-enlist in the Army as an officer. 

He was involved in both the European and Pacific theaters during World War II, which included the landing at Normandy. He spent 27 years in the military, and was awarded the Bronze Star for Meritorious Service in a Combat Zone. 

Most of Connelly's Army life was spent working with the Counterintelligence Corps. He is the father of three daughters, a grandfather of six, a great-grandfather of six and became a centenarian on Saturday.

Connelly's wife of 63 years, Jean, passed away in 2016.

The WWII veteran cracked some jokes while speaking with Fox News Digital, and his humility shined through when he said his service in the military was "nothing special."

The daily flag retreat ceremony tradition in Main Street, USA, town square dates back to the park's opening day on Oct. 1, 1971. It features the pledge of allegiance, the singing of "God Bless America" and "The Star-Spangled Banner."

"The ceremony is a tribute—a thank you to veterans for their service, sacrifice and dedication to protecting our country," Disney World's website reads. 

More stories about Disney saluting military service heroes can be found here. 

Three Humvees and other military equipment were stolen from an Army Reserve Center in Tustin, California earlier this week, according to police.

Unknown suspects entered a storage warehouse at the Army Reserve Center on Wednesday between 8 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., Tustin Police wrote in a press release.

Multiple storage lockers at the facility were found with removed locks and missing gear.

PRESIDENT BIDEN AWARDS MEDAL OF HONOR TO SEVEN ARMY VETERANS

The suspects made an unsuccessful attempt to cut a lock to uniform storage.

Police said the suspects cut a fence to gain access to a military vehicle parking lot, where they stole three Humvees.

The suspects left the area at an unknown time, according to police.

In total, the suspects stole one armored Humvee, two cloth-door Humvees, eight machine gun vehicle mounts, seven freestanding machine gun tripods, 40 pairs of binoculars, 18 bayonets and medical equipment.

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The Army told police it is not aware of any additional loss of weapons or ammunition.

Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact law enforcement.

President Biden awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military decoration, to seven U.S. Army veterans for their heroism during the Korean and Vietnam Wars at the White House on Friday.

Private Bruno Orig, Private First Class Wataru Nakamura, Corporal Fred McGee, Private First Class Charles Johnson, retired General Richard Cavazos, Captain Hugh Nelson, Jr., and Specialist Fourth Class Kenneth David were all honored.

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"These are genuine to their core heroes. Heroes of different ranks, different positions, and even different generations. But heroes who all went above and beyond the call of duty. Heroes who all deserve our nation's highest and oldest military recognition," Biden said.

Five of the recipients were killed in battle, including Capt. Hugh Nelson Jr. who is the first-ever graduate from The Citadel Military College in South Carolina to receive the Medal of Honor. Nelson was previously awarded the U.S. Army’s Distinguished Service Cross.

28-year-old Captain Nelson served as a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam war under the 114th aviation company Air Mobile Light. On the fateful day of June 5th, 1966, near Moc Hoa, a rural district in Southern Vietnam, Nelson was the acting aircraft commander on a search and destroy reconnaissance mission. The armed UH-1B Huey helicopter he was flying was struck by hostile gunfire that made the aircraft virtually uncontrollable. Captain Nelson and his co-pilot were able to crash land the aircraft without lateral controls.

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But they crash landed right in the middle of enemy positions. The crash destroyed all the weapons on board. Nelson was the first of his crew to gain consciousness. He quickly saw the enemy was surrounding the crash site. Ignoring his own injuries and enemy fire from 30-feet away, Nelson sprang into action and began evacuating his three wounded crew mates—the crew chief, the door gunner, and co-pilot. The crew chief was pinned down in the cargo compartment and the door gunner was trapped in the Huey. With his bare hands, Nelson ripped off one of the helicopter doors to evacuate himself and his crew while insurgents were firing rounds from 30-feet away. Nelson used his own body as a human shield as he lifted the door gunner to the ground and was killed by the gunfire after being shot between six and 20 times while doing so.

Because of Nelson’s sacrifice, the wounded specialist was able to signal support with a smoke grenade. Supporting aircraft responded immediately, preventing the insurgents from advancing on the downed aircraft and successfully rescued the three wounded crew members and Captain Nelson’s remains.

Nelson’s daughter Debra McKnight accepted the award on her father’s behalf at the White House ceremony. She was just 5-years-old and her little brother, Hugh Nelson III, was 6-months-old when their father left for Fort Bragg, now named Fort Liberty, to start his tour in Vietnam. The Army notified Nelson’s family that he was killed in battle just one day before his infant son’s first birthday.

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"Nelson’s conscious decision to sacrifice his own life for that of his comrades saved the lives of his three fellow crew members that fateful day," his Medal of Honor citation reads. "Nelson’s distinctive accomplishments are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon him, his unit and the United States Army."

Captain Nelson graduated from The Citadel in 1959. Before the fateful battle he served three years in Taiwan. His co-captain who was rescued was Captain Bailey Jones. Jones also graduated from the Citadel, in the class of 1964.

Top Army ROTC Cadet at the Citadel, Tomas Fitzpatrick, attended the ceremony on Friday.

"The sacrifice of Captain Hugh Nelson is a powerful reminder of the values we uphold at The Citadel — honor, duty and respect. As someone who plans to enlist in the U.S. Army after graduation, we all strive to lead with the same bravery and commitment," Fitzpatrick said. Fitzpatrick will be joining the Army infantry after graduation in May. The Citadel’s Army ROTC department is one of the largest commissioning sources in the country. 120 Army 2nd lieutenants were commissioned in 2024 alone.

"Captain Hugh Reavis Nelson, Jr. exemplified the highest values of courage, selflessness and leadership that we instill in every Citadel cadet. Nelson’s service to his comrades and country remains an enduring inspiration for us all," Citadel President Gen. Glenn Walters said in a statement. 

"To learn these stories of Americans like Bruno and Wataru, and Fred, and Charlie, Richard, Hugh, Ken, Americans who have not only fought for our nation but who embodied the very best our nation has to offer. Let me also say this today we award these individuals a medal of honor. We can't stop here because as a nation, it's up to us to give this medal meaning, to keep fighting, to keep fighting for one another, for each other, to keep defending everything these heroes fought for and many of them died for," Biden said. 

Two new videos have been released in relation to Wednesday's Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas as investigators try to piece together what caused an active-duty U.S. Army soldier to kill himself and then blow up the electric pick-up truck.

The first video shows the Tesla Cybertruck slowly leaving the hotel’s valet area earlier in the morning, while the second video is taken from inside the hotel and shows the truck exploding, sending flames and fireworks into the air. 

Investigators believe Matthew Livelsberger, 37, shot himself in the head before blowing up the futuristic-looking truck outside the iconic hotel, sending flames, fireworks and shrapnel upward just steps away from the hotel's glass doors.

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Livelsberger was the only fatality, although seven bystanders reported having minor injuries. A motive has yet to be established. The cause of death was suicide by gunshot, according to the Clark County coroner.

The first video is surveillance footage and shows who police say is Livelsberger driving the rented Cybertruck slowly out of the hotel’s valet area. Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill says Livelsberger then visited several places along the Las Vegas Strip, including stopping at the parking lot of a business near the Flamingo Hotel.

In another clip, the truck is stopped at traffic lights on Sands Avenue and then Livelsberger takes a right turn toward Trump International, where he ultimately stops outside the front doors and 17 seconds later the truck goes up in flames. 

Authorities say the truck contained gasoline and camp fuel containers, as well as large firework mortars. The explosion occurred just steps away from the hotel's glass doors, which were not damaged.

The second video, taken by a witness in the hotel’s lobby, shows the truck in flames after the initial explosion. An alarm inside the hotel can be heard going off and emergency lights are flashing.

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Two explosive bangs can be heard, followed by the sound of fireworks going off and then another explosion as the top of the truck remains on fire. The incident took place at around 8:40 a.m. local time. 

Among the charred items found inside the truck were a handgun at Livelsberger's feet, another firearm, a number of fireworks, a passport, a military ID, credit cards, an iPhone and a smartwatch, McMahill said. Authorities said both guns were purchased legally.

Livelsberger was a U.S. Army special operations soldier who had several addresses associated with him and was on leave from Germany, where he was serving with the 10th Special Forces Group.

Kenny Cooper, a special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said the level of sophistication is not what officials would expect from an individual with this type of military experience.

Meanwhile, FBI Special Agent Spencer Evans added that investigators were looking for potential terror ties to Livelsberger but had not found any as of Thursday afternoon.

"The question about whether it's being investigated globally, absolutely – like I said, we're running down investigative leads around the world," he told reporters. "No information that we're aware of right now that connects this individual to any terrorist organization around the world, but that's obviously the thrust of the investigation…ruling out that there's any sort of terrorism nexus."

An Army spokesperson told Fox News that Livelsberger began active duty in the Army in January 2006 and reached the rank of master sergeant. 

Livelsberger spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a massive Army base in North Carolina that is home to the Army Special Forces Command.

Livelsberger joined the National Guard from March 2011 to July 2012, followed by the Army Reserve from July 2012 to December 2012. Additionally, the U.S. Army Special Operations Command confirmed Livelsberger was on approved leave at the time of his death. 

Fox News’ Mitch Picasso and Michael Ruiz as well as The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The driver of the Tesla Cybertruck that blew up outside Trump International Hotel Las Vegas on New Year's Day has been identified as 37-year-old Matthew Alan Livelsberger, a U.S. Army service member from Colorado, U.S. officials said.

Livelsberger was shot in the head in what police believe was a self-inflicted gunshot prior to the detonation of the vehicle, police said.

Authorities used his tattoos, along with his credit cards, military identification and passport, to identify him at the scene.

"There are two tattoos, one of which was on the stomach and one of which is on the arm that we can see bits and pieces of it, as in comparison to what it is that we now know he had, on his body," Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said Thursday.

"That has given us a lot of confidence that this is, in fact, the same person, as well as of which the clearly obvious, which is the credit cards, the military identification, the passport," he added.

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The 37-year-old recently returned from an overseas assignment in Germany and was on approved leave at the time of the incident, according to a U.S. official.

He had served in the Army since 2006, rising through the ranks.

"Master Sgt. Matthew Alan Livelsberger enlisted as an 18X and served in the active duty Army from January 2006 to March 2011. Livelsberger then joined the National Guard from March 2011 to July 2012, followed by the Army Reserve from July 2012 to December 2012. He entered the active duty Army in December 2012 and was a U.S. Army Special Operations Soldier," an Army spokesperson confirmed to Fox News.

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He was awarded a total of five Bronze Stars, including one with a valor device for courage under fire, a combat infantry badge and an Army Commendation Medal with valor.

He deployed twice to Afghanistan and also served in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia and Congo, the Associated Press reported.

There has been speculation online over his political affiliations, but no confirmed reports of how he voted.

Livelsberger’s uncle, Dean, told The Independent that he "loved Trump."

"He loved Trump, and he was always a very, very patriotic solider, a patriotic American," Dean said. "It's one of the reason he was in Special Forces for so many years."

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Livelsberger appears to have at one point been married to Sara Livelsberger, a 38-year-old who lives in Delray Beach, Florida. The Denver Post reported that he had divorced in 2018 and remarried in 2022.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Sara Livelsberger for comment.

A Facebook page for Sara has been quiet since 2016, but makes multiple references to Livelsberger as her husband.

In Facebook posts from 2016, Sara said she was a registered Democrat and shared images that were disparaging of President-elect Trump. 

The Cybertruck was rented in Colorado, authorities said during a Wednesday news conference. 

The futuristic Tesla vehicle was complete with large firework mortars in the back and fuel canisters. It arrived in Las Vegas at about 7:30 a.m. local time Wednesday and drove up and down the strip before pulling into the Trump hotel. 

The vehicle was parked for about 20 seconds before it exploded, police said.

Authorities are continuing to investigate whether the incident was an act of terrorism, which came just hours after another U.S. veteran killed at least 15 people when he plowed a truck with an Islamic State flag down Bourbon Street in New Orleans.

Authorities are still working to determine a motive.

"It’s not lost on us that it’s in front of the Trump building, that it’s a Tesla vehicle, but we don’t have information at this point that definitively tells us or suggests it was because of this particular ideology," said Spencer Evans, the Las Vegas FBI’s special agent in charge.

Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner and The Associated Press contributed to this report.