US President-elect Donald Trump has stunned the Pentagon and the broader defence world by nominating Fox News host Pete Hegseth to serve as his defence secretary, looking to someone largely inexperienced and untested on the global stage to take over the world’s largest and most powerful military.
The news was met with bewilderment and worry among many in Washington, as Mr Trump bypassed a number of established national security heavy-hitters in favour of an Army National Guard captain who is well-known in conservative circles as a co-host of Fox News Channel’s Fox & Friends Weekend.
While some Republicans’ response to the announcement was muted, others called Mr Hegseth’s combat experience an asset or said he was “tremendously capable”.
Mr Hegseth could bring sweeping changes to the American military. He has made it clear on his show and in interviews that, like Mr Trump, he is stridently opposed to so-called “woke” programmes that promote equality and inclusion. He also questioned the role of women in combat and advocated pardoning service members charged with war crimes.
In June, at a rally in Las Vegas, Mr Trump encouraged his supporters to buy Mr Hegseth’s book after vowing that if he returned to the White House, “the woke stuff will be gone within a period of 24 hours, I can tell you”.
A staunch conservative who embraces Mr Trump’s “America First” policies, the 44-year-old Mr Hegseth has pushed for making the military more lethal. During an interview on The Shawn Ryan Show podcast, he said allowing women to serve in combat damages efforts to that end.
“Everything about men and women serving together makes the situation more complicated, and complication in combat, that means casualties are worse,” Mr Hegseth said.
And while he said diversity in the military is a strength, he said this was because minority and white men “can perform similarly” – but added the same is not true for women.
While Mr Trump lauded Mr Hegseth as “tough, smart and a true believer in America First”, others were quick to point to the TV personality’s lack of experience, with some suggesting he could be Pentagon chief in name only as the Trump White House runs the department.
A number of other names floated as possible defence choices had included representative Mike Rogers of Alabama, the Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee; retired Lt Gen Keith Kellogg; Iowa Senator Joni Ernst; and Robert Wilkie, a former Pentagon official who was head of Veterans Affairs in Mr Trump’s first term.
“There is reason for concern that this is not a person who is a serious enough policymaker, serious enough policy implementer, to do a successful job,” said representative Adam Smith of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.
Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said Mr Hegseth’s lack of senior national security experience makes it more difficult to get US Senate confirmation.
TRUMP will fix them. https://t.co/ZUcYpGop9g
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) November 8, 2024
“I think Trump was tired of fighting with his secretaries of defence and picked one who would be loyal to him,” Mr Cancian said.
Military officials said the choice came out of the blue. A senior military officer said Mr Hegseth’s selection is raising concerns about whether he has the practical experience to manage a large department with an enormous budget.
The US Defence Department has a budget exceeding 800 billion dollars (£625 billion), with about 1.3 million active-duty troops and another 1.4 million in the National Guard, Reserves and civilian employees based worldwide.
If confirmed, Mr Hegseth would face a daunting array of global crises, from the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine and the expanding alliance between Russia and North Korea to the growing competition with China.
There is also the need to upgrade the complex US missile and nuclear defence apparatus and ensure the defence industry can keep up with America’s need for weapons systems.
US House Speaker Mike Johnson said Mr Hegseth brings a lot to the table and will be “reform-minded in the areas that need reform”.
Mr Hegseth has been a contributor since 2014 for Fox News, developing a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on his show. He is the author of The War On Warriors: Behind The Betrayal Of The Men Who Keep Us Free.
Mr Trump said in a statement: “With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice — Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down.
“Nobody fights harder for the Troops, and Pete will be a courageous and patriotic champion of our ‘Peace through Strength’ policy.”
