REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
- Trump has tapped Pete Hegseth, an Army veteran and Fox News host, to be secretary of defense.
- BI reviewed Hegseth's past statements for clues on how he might lead the Defense Department.
- Hegseth has been skeptical of US support for the NATO alliance and an embattled Ukraine.
US President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Pete Hegseth, a Fox & Friends host and US Army National Guard veteran, to be secretary of defense.
Hegseth is a combat veteran and conservative commentator who gained clout during Trump's first term and successfully pushed for pardons and rank reinstatement in three war crimes cases over the objections of top military officials. He has been skeptical of the US's support for the NATO alliance and an embattled Ukraine, while advocating for full support for Israel.
Trump announced Hegseth's nomination on Tuesday night, calling him a "warrior for the troops and country" and a "true believer in America First." His selection is a sign Trump is focused on purging the military's top ranks of purported "woke generals," along the lines of the external "warrior board" reviews first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Hegseth was considered for Veterans Affairs secretary during Trump's first term and faced pushback from veterans group leaders. This time is no different.
"Hegseth is undoubtedly the least qualified nominee for SecDef in American history. And the most overtly political. Brace yourself, America," Paul Rieckhoff, the founder of Independent Veterans of America, said.
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Hegseth is a Fox News fixture known for his military service and weighing in on culture war controversies. He served in Iraq and Afghanistan but has less leadership, national security, and Department of Defense experience than Trump's former defense secretaries.
"I confess I didn't know who he was until 20 minutes ago," Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on House Armed Services, told reporters Tuesday night. Adam Kinzinger, a former lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard and a Republican who left Congress after clashing with Trump, said the nomination is "the most hilariously predictably stupid thing."
Hegseth was among a group of US National Guard members who had their orders to secure then President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration revoked after the January 6 insurrection. Hegseth said on "The Shawn Ryan Show" he was dismissed because he was "deemed an extremist" over his tattoo of a Jerusalem cross; he also has a tattoo of a Christian motto that dates to the Crusades and has been adopted by the alt-right.
When asked for comment, the Trump transition team referred Business Insider to Trump's announcement. Hegseth didn't respond to BI's request for comment on Wednesday.
If Hegseth is confirmed, he'll come to the Pentagon at a perilous time for a US military stretched thin by conflicts and tensions across the world. Here's where he stands on some key issues.
Hegseth has criticized women serving in combat roles and diversity in the military
US Army/Spc. Abreanna Goodrich
During a recent interview on "The Shawn Ryan Show" podcast, he said women serving in combat roles hurt the military.
"Everything about men and women serving together makes the situation more complicated, and complication in combat, that means casualties are worse," Hegseth said, adding that minority and white men can perform similar tasks that women can't.
By allowing women to serve, "we've changed the standards in putting them there, which means you've changed the capability of that unit." All US military combat roles opened to women in 2015.
Hegseth is highly critical of "woke" diversity and equity policies. "The dumbest phrase on planet Earth in the military is our diversity is our strength," he said on "The Shawn Ryan Show," adding, "Any general that was involved, any general, admiral, whatever, that was involved in any of the DEI/woke shit has got to go."
He has called for shifting away from diversity and inclusivity in the US military, whose highest ranks remain overwhelmingly male and white. Branches of the military face issues fulfilling recruitment goals, specifically with lower numbers of white male recruits in recent years.
Hegseth is critical of NATO and has flip-flopped on Ukraine
Genya SAVILOV / AFP
Hegseth has echoed a growing opinion among Republicans that questions whether it's in the US's interest to support Ukraine's war of self-defense against Russia or the larger security of America's European allies. He's also said Ukraine's war for its existence pales in comparison to the war on "woke" in America.
In February 2022, Hegseth defended Trump's controversial comments describing Russian leader Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine as "savvy" and "genius," suggesting Trump was just attempting to "troll" American media.
Throughout the war, Hegseth has shifted stances, calling Putin a "war criminal" and criticizing Biden for not getting Ukraine military aid quickly enough. He told Fox News in March 2022, "What's at stake is repelling an authoritarian who basically is saying 'I want the Soviet Union back, I want Ukraine back, I want Kyiv back.'"
He has criticized the NATO alliance, saying the US's European allies need to lead efforts to defend their borders. In his recent book, "War on Warriors," Hegseth called some NATO allies "outdated, outgunned, invaded, and impotent."
He wrote,"Why should America, the European 'emergency contact number' for the past century, listen to self-righteous and impotent nations asking us to honor outdated and one-sided defense arrangements they no longer live up to?"
He's a staunch supporter of Israel
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Hegseth has repeatedly advocated for Israel, including in his coverage of the war in Gaza. He has supported Israel striking back against Iran and its proxies and pushed against calls for a cease-fire.
He interviewed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this year, asking about Trump's support for Israel during his first term. And in November 2023, he criticized pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrating in Washington.
In a 2016 interview, he said Israel wasn't "a historical land that can be dismissed," emphasizing how important it is for the US to stand by Israel as its ally.
Hegseth's stance on China is murky
China could be a top priority for Hegseth if he's confirmed. The Pentagon has called China its "pacing challenge" and has raised alarms on Beijing's meteoric military growth.
On "The Shawn Ryan Show," Hegseth said China was "building an army specifically dedicated to defeating" the US, pointing to how its hypersonic missiles could take US aircraft carriers out quickly in a conflict as a major concern.
Sun Xiang/Xinhua via Getty Images
His comments on China's economic influence echo Trump's talking points. "They want to corner the market completely on the technological future. We can't even drive our cars without the stuff we need out of China these days. So China has a full spectrum long-term view of not just regional but global domination and we have our heads up our asses," he said on the podcast.
If confirmed, Hegseth would lead the Defense Department at a pivotal moment in the Asia-Pacific region. The US has assessed that China wants its military ready to seize Taiwan by 2027, and that US military forces need to be ready for a potential conflict with China by then.