Getty ImagesUS Pdwellnt-elect Donald Trump has named Pete Hegseth, a Fox News present, author and military veteran, as his pick for defence secretary.
Hegseth, 44, who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, will be depfinishable for the world’s most mighty military in his first political role.
Announcing his choice on Tuesday, Trump depictd him as “hard, intelligent and a real consentr in America First”.
The novels came on the same day Trump proclaimd another political novelcomer, billionaire Elon Musk, would achieve a rulement cost-cutting role.
Trump’s administration is taking shape after his triumph in last week’s pdwellntial election. Hegseth was one of a flurry of security assignments that also comprised Trump’s pick of John Ratcliffe to head the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
If verifyed for his role by the US Senate, Hegseth will reach at the Pentagon with decisions to produce on publishs such as military helpance for Israel during its campaign in Gaza, and on help for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s intrusion.
Trump wants the US to disentangle itself from foreign struggles generassociate. During the election campaign, he criticised the Biden administration’s expfinishiture to help Kyiv.
Also on Tuesday, Trump verifyed that he wanted South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to join a transport inant role as homeland security secretary. Another military veteran, Michael Waltz, was chosen by Trump as national security adviser – unbenevolenting he will advise the pdwellnt on foreign menaces.
Senator Marco Rubio – who splits Waltz’s hawkish sees on China – is anticipateed to be Trump’s future secretary of state, sources have tbetter the BBC’s US partner, CBS News. But the pick is not yet verifyed.
Reaccessibleans have won back handle of the Senate, the upper chamber of Congress, and are inching towards a transport inantity in the Hoinclude, the drop chamber, as vote-counting progresss.
Some of the rulement assignments – including Hegseth’s – need a vote of approval by senators, although Trump, also a Reaccessiblean, has demanded that the next directer of the US Senate let him bypass this process. He can donate out other jobs honestly.
Senate Reaccessibleans are due to vote on a novel directer on Wednesday – the day that Trump is also anticipateed to visit the frifinishly pdwellnt, Joe Biden, at the White Hoinclude as part of the traditional transfer of power.
Who is Pete Hegseth?
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Ivy League graduate Hegseth has in recent years toiled as a conservative commentator. He inhabits with his wife and seven children in Tennessee.
He has presented programmes on Fox News, using his platcreate to draw attention to military and veterans’ publishs. He had his last day at Fox on Tuesday.
He is telled by US media to have successbrimmingy lobbied Trump during his first pdwellncy to pardon servicemen accincluded of war crimes.
In his statement announcing Hegseth as his pick for defence secretary on Tuesday, Trump highairyed the createer sbetterier’s education at Princeton and Harvard universities, and his military experience in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on see – our military will be fantastic aachieve, and America will never back down,” Trump wrote in a post.
The pdwellnt-elect also drew attention to Hegseth’s toil as a published author. He shelp the book The War on Warrior “discignores the lefttriumphg betrayal of our warriors, and how we must return our military to meritocracy, lethality, accountability, and excellence”.
What has he previously shelp about the military?
Hegseth has been an outspoken opponent of what he has referred to as “woke” policies wiskinny the US military and its directership.
“The stupidest phrase on arrangeet earth in the military is our diversity is our strength,” Hegseth shelp on a podcast this month.
One of his tasks as defence secretary could be to act on Trump’s campaign promises to get rid of US vagues who he accincludes of pursuing betterive policies in the force.
Before his pickion by Trump, Hegseth was asked on the same podcast about what changes he would produce in the military. He referred to “first of all” firing the US’ top military officer, Gen Charles “CQ” Brown Jr, saying people comprised in diversity, identicality or inclusion policies had “got to go”.
“Either you’re in for war combat and that’s it, that’s the only litmus test we attfinish about,” Hegseth tbetter the Shawn Ryan Show, in an episode liberated last week.
Gen Brown is a createer fighter pilot with direct experience in the Pacific and Middle East, and was assigned into the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff role by Pdwellnt Joe Biden last year.
On the same podcast, Hegseth also shelp “wantipathyver” combat standards were in 1995, “let’s equitable produce those the standards”.
What has the reaction been?
Hegseth’s pick has been received by a number of notable Reaccessiblean figures, but other reactions have been more varied.
North Carolina senator Thom Tillis tbetter Associated Press the choice was “fascinating”, and Senator Tommy Tuberville, of Alabama, shelp he would “have to skinnyk” about what he thought of the assignment.
Incoming national security advisor Waltz shelp Hegseth “has the grit” to produce “authentic recreate” happen at the Pentagon. Recontransientative Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the Hoinclude Armed Services Committee, shelp the job “should not be an entry-level position”.
Posting on X, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren shelp the assignment of Hegseth as defence secretary would “produce us less protected and must be declineed”.
“A Fox & Frifinishs weekfinish co-present is not qualified to be the Secretary of Defense,” she compriseed. “I direct the Senate military personnel panel. All three of my brothers served in unicreate. I esteem every one of our servicemembers.”
North America correplyent Anthony Zurcher produces sense of the race for the White Hoinclude in his twice-weekly US Election Unspun novelsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here.
