President-elect Trump has made an unconventional choice in announcing his intention of nominating Fox News host Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense.
It was a surprise choice that already has caused some consternation. Many had expected a nominee with more experience to be selected to lead the Pentagon.
Hegseth has been a fierce advocate of “wokeness” in the military, and has suggested banning women from combat roles and firing Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. CQ Brown.
Should he be confirmed in the Senate, Hegseth would replace Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who is set to depart along with President Biden in January.
Here’s what to know about his nomination:
Record of military service and veterans’ advocacy
Hegseth was an infantry officer in the Army National Guard from 2002 to 2021. After graduating from Princeton University in 2003, he went on to serve tours in Guantanamo Bay from 2004-’05, Iraq from 2005-’06, and Afghanistan from 2011-’12, according to the Army National Guard.
His military awards include two Bronze Stars, two Army Commendation Medals, the National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Service Star, and the expert infantryman and combat infantryman badges.
Hegseth also served as the executive director of the non-profit Vets for Freedom and CEO of Concerned Veterans for America, a Koch-backed conservative advocacy group that advocated for the privatization of veterans’ care.
Hegseth has never served in government. He unsuccessfully ran for a Senate seat representing Minnesota in 2012 and was considered for the Secretary of Veteran Affairs position in Trump’s first administration.
Longtime Fox News personality
Hegseth joined Fox News as a regular contributor in 2014 and is now a co-host of “Fox & Friends” weekend edition for much of the past decade.
He has regularly spoken with Trump on the network and railed against “wokeness” and diversity initiatives in the military.
Hegseth has also hosted the network’s “Patriot Awards,” it’s New Years Eve telecast, and has written multiple books for the Fox imprint.
Shortly after joining Fox News, Hegseth threw an ax on air that struck and injured Jeff Prosperie, a drummer in West Point’s Hellcats field band, who accused the host of going “rogue.”
“Poor decision, obvious negligence, should not have happened, could have been avoided,” Prosperie said of the 2015 incident. “When shooting or throwing, always know what is behind your target. Basic safety rule.”
Prosperie, a U.S. Army master sergeant, reportedly sued Hegseth, but his lawyer told the AP this week that the matter had been settled out of court.
Backs banning women from combat roles
Hegseth said women should be banned from serving in combat roles during an appearance this month on the “The Shawn Ryan Show” podcast.
“I’m straight-up just saying we should not have women in combat roles. It hasn’t made us more effective, hasn’t made us more lethal, has made fighting more complicated,” he said.
“We’ve all served with women and they’re great. It’s just, our institutions don’t have to incentivize that in places where…over human history men in those positions are more capable.”
“Everything about men and women serving together makes the situation more complicated, and complication in combat means casualties are worse,” Hegseth added on the podcast.
The Obama administration entirely lifted a ban on women in combat, effectively allowing them to serve in almost any role in the military, including Army Rangers and Navy SEALS.
Wants to fire Joint Chiefs Chair and ‘woke’ generals
Also during his interview with Shawn Ryan, Hegseth outlined proposals to “fire” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, CQ Brown, and other “woke” generals.
“Well, first of all, you got to fire, you know, you got to fire the chairman of the Joint Chiefs,” he said.
“Any general that was involved, general, admiral, whatever that was involved in any of the DEI woke shit, it’s got to go,” he added. “Either you’re in for war fighting that and that’s it. That’s the only litmus test we care about.”
Brown was appointed by President Biden to replace Gen. Mark Milley last year, in what is typically a four-year term, though he serves at the pleasure of the president.
Trump has not explicitly said he would fire Brown, but his election has spurred anxiety about that possibility within the Pentagon.
Trump’s transition team is working on an executive order that would speed up the firing of top military brass if signed, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
Lobbied Trump for war crimes pardons
Hegseth successfully lobbied Trump to pardon several service members accused of war crimes in 2019, according to the AP.
The Fox News host pushed for the pardons on his show and interviewed relatives of the imprisoned former service members.
Among those pardoned were a former U.S. Army commando set to stand trial for killing a suspected Afghan bomb-maker and a former Army lieutenant convicted of murder for ordering his men to fire upon three Afghans, killing two.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was among the vocal critics of the decision, warning that the pardons were “sabotaging the military justice system.”
“President Trump’s intervention evinces a callous disregard for the lives of victims and survivors, the rule of law, and the military justice system,” said ACLU staff attorney Noor Zafar.
