Who is Pete Hegseth, the pro-Israel Fox News host picked to lead the Pentagon? | News about the 2024 US elections

Newly elected President of the United States Donald Trump has selected Fox News host and military veteran Pete Hegseth, a pro-Israel and Iranian hawk, to serve as his Secretary of Defense, praising him as “tough, smart and a true believer in America First.”

The 44-year-old’s nomination to lead the world’s most powerful military has drawn criticism from Democrats, who pointed to his “lack of experience” on the world stage.

“The job of Secretary of Defense should not be an entry-level position,” Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, wrote on X.

So who is Hegseth and will his inexperience get in the way of him fulfilling his duty as head of the Pentagon?

Who is Pete Hegseth?

Hegseth, who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, joined Fox News as a contributor in 2014 and now co-hosts Fox and Friends Weekend and serves as host of Fox Nation.

He has also written several books, including The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free, which have received critical acclaim from Trump.

The War on Warriors, a bestseller, “exposes the leftist betrayal of our Warriors, and how we must return our military to meritocracy, lethality, accountability and excellence,” the president-elect wrote, according to AFP news agency.

Hegseth defended service members accused of war crimes and in 2019 urged Trump to pardon US service members accused of war crimes. According to The Washington Post, Hegseth’s lobbying of Trump in 2019 resulted in the pardons of two service members accused of murder, and the reinstatement of the rank of a third found guilty of posing with a body in Iraq.

The 44-year-old developed a friendship with Trump, regularly appearing on his Fox News show.

He also ran unsuccessfully for Senate in Minnesota in 2012.

He earned a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University’s Harvard Kennedy School of Government, according to his Fox News biography. He also graduated from Princeton University.

Hegseth lives with his wife and seven children in the southern state of Tennessee.

What was his role in the army?

After graduating from Princeton University in 2003, Hegseth was commissioned as an infantry captain in the Army National Guard, where he served overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as at Guantánamo Bay. According to his official website, he received two Bronze Star medals for his military service.

The 44-year-old veteran previously headed Concerned Veterans for America, a group backed by conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch.

What challenges lie ahead of him?

Hegseth has served in the military, although he has no senior military or national security experience.

The Department of Defense has a budget of more than $800 billion, with approximately 1.3 million active-duty soldiers and another 1.4 million in the National Guard, Army Reserve and civilian employees worldwide.

If confirmed, Hegseth would face the daunting task of tackling a range of global conflicts – from Israel’s war on Gaza and Lebanon to the war between Russia and Ukraine – and the expanding alliance between Russia and North Korea until the rise of China.

Smith, the Democrat, said that while Hegseth’s combat experience is a plus, running the Pentagon requires many other skills.

‘What’s your plan? What are you going to do? … How can you assure us that that lack of experience won’t make it impossible for you to do the job?’ said Smith.

“I think these are questions that need to be answered in the coming months.”

While leading the Pentagon is considered a key job in any administration, the position of secretary of defense had a tumultuous period between 2016 and 2020 during Trump’s first term. Five men held the position during Trump’s four years.

What is his position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Iran?

Hegseth was pro-Israel in his coverage of the war on Gaza and called the two-state solution a solution “lip service”. He produced a series – Battle in the Holy Land: Israel at War – about the ongoing Israeli war against Gaza and interviewed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in March.

“My interview with Israeli Prime Minister @netanyahu today. Israel needs our support!” He posted on X in March.

As an evangelical Christian, he views the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a biblical lens.

“This is not some mystical land that can be pushed aside. It is the story of God’s chosen people. That story did not end in 1776 or 1948 or with the founding of the UN. All of these things resonate and are still important today,” Hegseth said in 2016 interview with the Jewish press.

Hegseth was also aggressive towards Iran and singled out Tehran “an evil regime” in the wake of the 2020 assassination of General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force.

Will he launch a culture war?

Hegseth’s choice could mean sweeping changes for the military, as he has made it clear on his show and in interviews that, like Trump, he is strongly opposed to “woke” programs that promote equality and inclusivity.

Trump told Fox News in June that he would fire generals he described as “woke,” a term for those focused on racial and social justice but used by conservatives to discredit progressive policies.

In June, at a rally in Las Vegas, Trump encouraged his supporters to buy Hegseth’s book after saying that if he won, “the woke stuff will be gone in a 24-hour period. I can tell you.”

Hegseth wrote in the book released in June: “Over the past three years — since President Barack Obama created the Social Justice Foundation — the Pentagon, at all levels, has been pushing the social justice messages of gender equality, racial diversity, climate stupidity and the LGBTQA+ embraced. alphabet soup in their recruitment efforts.

His conservative agenda could put him on a collision course with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force Gen. CQ Brown. Hegseth has accused Brown of “emulating the radical positions of left-wing politicians.”

During an interview on The Shawn Ryan Show podcast, he said allowing women to serve in combat hurts that effort.

“Anything that men and women serve together complicates the situation, and complications in combat mean the casualties are worse,” Hegseth said.

Hegseth has said he left the army in 2021 after being sidelined because of his political and religious views by an army that no longer wanted him.

“The feeling was mutual – I didn’t want this army anymore either,” Hegseth said in his book The War on Warriors.

What is his view on NATO, the war between Russia and Ukraine and China?

Hegseth has been sharply critical of the US’s European allies and his selection could increase fears among NATO members about what a Trump administration will mean for the alliance.

‘Outdated, outgunned, invaded and powerless. Why should America, the European ’emergency contact number’ of the last century, listen to self-righteous and powerless nations asking us to respect outdated and unilateral defense arrangements that they no longer comply with?” Hegseth wrote in his book.

‘Maybe if the NATO countries would actually stand up for their own defense, but they don’t. They’re just shouting about the rules while emptying their armies and screaming at America for help.”

In podcast and television appearances, he has said China is building a military “specifically dedicated to defeating the United States of America.”

“They have a long-term, full-spectrum view of not just regional but global domination, and we have our heads up our asses,” Hegseth said on another podcast last week.

He also said Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine was like “Putin’s give-me-my-s***-back war.”

Trump has been critical of President Joe Biden’s aid to Ukraine, fueling concerns about the future of support for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s government under a Republican-controlled White House, Senate and possibly House of Representatives .

“If Ukraine can defend itself… great, but I don’t want the American intervention to reach deep into Europe and make Putin feel like he’s on his tail,” Hegseth said.

How has his appointment been received so far?

Trump praised Hegseth as “tough, smart and a true supporter of 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,” Trump said in his statement.

“No one fights harder for the troops, and Pete will be a courageous and patriotic champion of our ‘Peace Through Strength’ policy.”

Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, pointed to his inexperience.

“There is a concern that this is not someone who is serious enough as a policymaker, serious enough as a policy implementer, to be able to do successful work.”

Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, said Hegseth’s lack of national security experience makes it more difficult to win Senate confirmation.

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

But Republicans have given the thumbs up.

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