The internet has gone wild for a hulking Special Forces agent after he was spotted on an early morning run with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. 

Hegseth, 44, was pictured pumping iron and jogging outdoors during a trip to Germany, where he is visiting senior military leaders at US command centers. 

But social media users were more interested in a man pictured flanking Hegseth, who appeared to be one of the US Special Forces agents stationed in the country.  

The man was seen with a huge smile on his face as he jogged with ease during their dawn workout in Stuttgart, south-west Germany on Tuesday morning.