USA. Pete Hegseth nominated for Secretary of Defense by Donald Trump. Who is he?

Donald Trump on Tuesday announced further nominations for his new administration. He announced, among other things, that he would be the boss Pentagon will be Pete Hegseth. “Pete has spent his life fighting for his military and his country. Pete is tough, intelligent, and a true believer in America First. With Pete at the helm, America's enemies will need to be on their guard – our military will be great again, and America will never bow down.” – Trump wrote in a statement.

Politico notes that security officials and analysts were bracing for surprises from Trump after his first four years in office, but even so, the announcement of Hegseth's nomination came as a complete surprise to them.

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Hegseth is 44 years old, has a wife and seven children. He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and currently lives in Tennessee. His great-grandparents come from Norway. He graduated from Princeton and Harvard universities. He is a war veteran – he served in Afghanistan, Iraq and on Cuba. He also acted as an informal adviser to Trump during his presidency and beyond. He defended the decision, among others. on the thaw with North Korea. He allegedly encouraged Trump to pardon some American soldiers accused of war crimes, including Eddie Gallagher, a Navy SEAL. Gallagher was convicted of posing for a photo with the body of a 17-year-old Islamic State fighter whom he allegedly stabbed to death.

However, Hegseth is best known as the presenter of the right-wing Fox News station, where he worked for 10 years. He led, among others, New Year's Eve programs, but he also served as a military expert there. The station reported that his contract ended on Tuesday.

In June, the journalist published a book called “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free” about problems in the American military, in which he criticizes, among others, .among others inclusive policy towards women, political correctness and bureaucracy in the Pentagon.

In his book he also described, among others: an event that occurred in 2021 when his unit was assigned to work during the presidential inauguration Joe Biden. He himself was not allowed to participate in the ceremony because, as he claimed, he had a religious tattoo. “My unit's management considered me an extremist or a white nationalist because of the tattoo I have,” he said in an interview on Fox News while promoting the book. He added that the tattoo was a Jerusalem cross.

CNN reminds that the day before Biden's inauguration, the National Guard actually announced that twelve soldiers would not be allowed to attend the event after a security check to check whether they had any links with extremist groups. That same year, Hegseth left the army because, he claimed, he was ostracized because of his political and religious views.

Reuters calls Hegseth a “NATO sceptic” and notes that he has criticized European allies for their weakness. “Why should America, Europe's 'emergency number' for the last century, listen to hypocritical and powerless nations asking us to respect outdated and unilateral defense arrangements that they no longer meet?” – he wrote in his book. “Perhaps if NATO countries actually rose to the occasion in self-defense, but that is simply not happening. They are shouting about principles, gutting their military and calling on America for help,” he added.

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The media note that Hegseth's nomination shocked Washington and surprised even some politicians from Trump's party. It was expected that the Republican would appoint someone with experience in defense policy. Meanwhile, one Defense Department official said anonymously in an interview with Reuters that the 44-year-old was not qualified for even much lower positions.

Another official told CNN that “everyone is just surprised,” and another added that he learned about the journalist's possible nomination only a few hours earlier and, like many others, did not know how to react.

– I admit that I didn't know who he was until 20 minutes ago – Adam Smith, a Democrat and member of the House Armed Services Committee, told reporters. – He certainly doesn't appear to have any experience with Department of Defense policy. I don't see any evidence that he had any relations with our foreign partners, he added. In turn, Republican Senator Todd Young admitted that he needs to learn more about this candidate. – I don't know much about his experience and his vision, I'm looking forward to finding out. “I want to give all of President Trump's nominees a fair opportunity to present their qualifications and vision,” he said. In turn, Republican senator Thom Tillis assessed the nomination in one word: “interesting.”

CNN sources say the president-elect has had a long-standing relationship with Hegseth and has always considered him “intelligent” and been impressed by his career. Trump also likes the fact that he is a war veteran. The station indicates that Trump probably sees him as a loyal person, and the department he is to lead is one with which he often had turbulent relations during his first term. For example, his appointment as Secretary of Defense James Mattis resigned in protest after Trump announced the US withdrawal from Syria.

– Trump attaches the highest importance to loyalty. It seems like one of the main criteria is how well people defend Donald Trump on television – Eric Edelman, former undersecretary of defense for political affairs under George W. Bush, assessed this nomination in an interview with Politico.

If his nomination is approved by the Senate, Hegseth, who has little management experience, will be responsible for 1.3 million active-duty troops and nearly a million civilians employed in the military.

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