Pete Hegseth, a Fox News co-host, author, and National Guard veteran, has been nominated to lead the world’s most powerful military as Secretary of Defense. He has been a staunch supporter of US President-elect Donald Trump and a harsh critic of NATO for years.
But he has also criticized President Joe Biden’s hesitation to stand up to Russia or arm Ukraine adequately to end the war more quickly.
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The 44-year-old, served as an infantry officer in the National Guard, deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan, and was awarded two Bronze Star medals, his official website says. He joined Fox News as a contributor in 2014 and now co-hosts Fox and Friends Weekend as well as serves as a host for Fox Nation. He has also written multiple books, including The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free, published earlier this year. The presenter has been outspoken about combatting “woke-ness” in the military.
Trump hailed Hegseth as “tough, smart, and a true believer in America First” in a social media post announcing the nomination. “With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice – Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down.”
The nominee said Russia‘s 2022 invasion of Ukraine appeared to be “Putin’s give-me-my-sh*t-back war” during an episode of the "Shawn Ryan Show" podcast last week, according to Reuters. It was recorded before Trump’s victory was announced Tuesday night.
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He lamented how much aid the US has sent to Kyiv over the last three years, per Business Insider. “If Ukraine can defend themselves... great, but I don’t want American intervention driving deep into Europe and making (Putin) feel like he’s so much on his heels,” he said, adding that the US had "burned two decades of money" in Afghanistan and Iraq, and that it was "tempted to do it again" in Ukraine.
He has defended many of Trump’s statements on Ukraine, including the former president’s 2022 comments calling Putin's recognition of the independence of the Ukrainian breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk "genius" and "wonderful."
But Hegseth also deemed Putin a "war criminal" and criticized the Biden administration for not equipping Ukraine fast enough during a Fox News interview in March 2022. He acknowledged that Putin sees any cease-fire as "an opportunity to reload."
"What's at stake is repelling an authoritarian who basically is saying 'I want the Soviet Union back, I want Ukraine back, I want Kyiv back,'" he said.
Hegseth’s background sets him apart from previous defense appointees chosen by the President-elect. The Secretary of Defense heads up the Department of Defense and a congressionally allocated budget worth hundreds of billions of dollars. The secretary is considered the top official on defense policy and oversees the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Trump cycled through five Secretaries of Defense during his first term in the White House with just two lasting long enough to make it through Senate confirmation.
Four-star general and Marine Jim Mattis held the role of Secretary of Defense for most of the first two years of Trump’s time in office. He clashed with the then-president and resigned after Trump announced the US withdrawal from Syria. Mark Esper, an Army veteran and tech executive, took up the mantle next. His relationship with Trump frayed over the 45th president’s announcement about the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. Trump fired Esper the day after the 2020 election for saying that there was no basis for challenging the results.
Hegseth previously served as head of Concerned Veterans for America, a group backed by conservative billionaires and oil tycoons Charles and David Koch.
He was also a major supporter of overturning the conviction of four former Blackwater contractors convicted in a 2007 shooting that killed more than a dozen Iraqi civilians in Baghdad. His lobbying is believed to have played a major role in convincing Trump to issue the pardons as one of his final acts in office.
Hegseth is an Ivy Leaguer, graduating from both Princeton and Harvard, though his website says he sent his degree back to the latter institution, and he has criticized it on-air for its allegedly leftist leanings. The millennial was reportedly considered for Secretary of Veterans Affairs during Trump’s first administration but was ultimately not selected for the position.
Hegseth has “an excellent background as a junior officer but does not have the senior national security experience that secretaries need,” Mark Cancian, a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told The Associated Press. His lack of experience might make receiving Senate confirmation more difficult.
“I think Trump was tired of fighting with his secretaries of defense and picked one who would be loyal to him,” Cancian added.
Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina called the choice “interesting,” and Senator Todd Young of Indiana said he doesn’t have “a sense of his background” in comments to CBS News. Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama said, “I’d have to think about it,” while Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska learned about the selection from a reporter and simply responded, “Wow.”
Hegseth’s nomination for Secretary of Defense must be approved by the Senate with a simple majority – or a ‘yes’ vote from at least 50% of sitting members – before he can join Trump’s cabinet.
He lives with his wife and seven children in Tennessee.
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