Trump picks Fox host Pete Hegseth to be secretary of defense, shocks Pentagon

WASHINGTON (AP) – President-elect Donald Trump stunned the Pentagon and the broader defense world by making the nomination Fox News host Pete Hegseth will serve as his defense secretarytapping 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 confusion and wide-eyed concern among many in Washington as Trump moved on a number of established national security forces and chose an Army National Guard captain known in conservative circles as a co-host on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend.”

While some Republican lawmakers had a muted response to the announcement, others called his combat experience an asset or said he was “tremendously capable.”

Hegseth’s choice could bring sweeping changes in the militaryas he has made it clear on his show and in interviews that, like Trump, he is staunchly opposed to “woke” programs that promote equality and inclusion. He has also questioned the role of women in combat and advocates pardoning service members accused of war crimes.

In June, at a rally in Las Vegas, Trump urged his supporters to buy Hegseth’s book after promising that if he won, “That woke thing will be gone within a period of 24 hours. I can tell you.”

A staunch conservative who embraces Trump’s “America First” policies, Hegseth, 44, has pushed to make the military more lethal. During an interview on “The Shawn Ryan Show” podcast, he said that allowing women to serve in combat hurts that effort.

“Anything with men and women serving together makes the situation more complicated, and complications in combat, that means the losses are worse,” Hegseth said.

And while he said diversity in the military is a strength, he said it was because minority and white men “can perform the same way,” but the same is not true of women.

While Trump hailed Hegseth as “tough, smart and a true believer in America First,” others were quick to point out the TV personality’s lack of experience, with some suggesting he could only be Pentagon chief in name when the Trump White House manages the department.

A number of other names floated as possible defense picks had included Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama, GOP chairman of the House Armed Services Committee; retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg; Late. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa; and Robert Wilkie, a former Pentagon official who served as head of Veterans Affairs during Trump’s first term.

“There is cause for concern that this is not someone who is a serious enough policy maker, serious enough policy implementer, to do a successful job,” said Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.

Mark Cancian, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Hegseth’s lack of senior national security experience makes it more difficult to get Senate confirmation.

“I think Trump got tired of fighting with his defense secretaries and picked someone who would be loyal to him,” Cancian said.

Military officials said the election came out of the blue. A senior military officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said Hegseth’s selection raises concerns about whether he has the practical experience to lead a large department with a huge budget.

The Department of Defense has a budget of over $800 billion, with about 1.3 million active duty troops and another 1.4 million in the National Guard, Reserves and civilian employees based around the world.

If confirmed, Hegseth will face a terrifying series of global crises, from wars in the Middle East and Ukraine and the expanding one alliance between Russia and North Korea to the growing competition with China. There is also a need to upgrade the complex US missile and nuclear defense apparatus and ensure that the defense industry can keep pace with US weapons systems needs.

Smith said that while Hegseth’s combat experience is a plus, running the Pentagon requires a lot of other skills, and his nomination will require some time for consideration.

“What’s your plan? What are you going to do? … How can you assure us that the lack of experience you know won’t make it impossible for you to do the job?” said Smith. “I think those are questions that need to be answered over the next few months.”

Even some Senate Republicans — who would vote on his nomination — had a subdued response.

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis called the choice “interesting,” and Indiana Sen. Todd Young, who served in the Marine Corps, said, “I don’t know much about his background or his vision, so I’m looking forward to learning more.”

North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven said he’s not surprised Trump chose Hegseth because Trump is “close to him and likes him and trusts him.”

“The guy is obviously extremely skilled, a great communicator,” Hoeven said. “I look forward to getting to know him better.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Hegseth brings a lot to the table and will be “reform-minded in the areas that need reform.”

Hegseth has been a contributor since 2014 to Fox News, developing a friendship with Trump, who appeared regularly on his show. He is the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free.”

“With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice – Our military will be great again and America will never back down,” Trump said in a statement. “No one fights harder for the troops and Pete will be a brave and patriotic champion of our ‘Peace Through Strength’ policy.”

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Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Mary Clare Jalonick and Farnoush Amiri in Washington and Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report.