Trump picks Fox host Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, stunning the Pentagon

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump stunned the Pentagon and the entire defense world with his nomination Fox News host Pete Hegseth will be his defense secretaryby bringing in someone largely inexperienced and untested on the global stage to take over the world's largest and most powerful military.

The news caused confusion and deep concern among many in Washington as Trump died a number of established national security heavyweights and chose an Army National Guard captain who is known in conservative circles as co-host of Fox News Channel's “Fox & Friends Weekend.”

While some Republican lawmakers reacted cautiously to the announcement, others called his combat experience an advantage or said he was “tremendously capable.”

Hegseth's election could make a difference profound changes in the militaryas he has made it clear on his show and in interviews that, like Trump, he is strongly opposed to “woke” programs that promote equity and inclusion. He also questioned the role of women in combat and advocated pardoning military personnel accused of war crimes.

In June, Trump encouraged his supporters at a rally in Las Vegas to buy Hegseth's book after vowing that if he won, “The woke stuff will be gone within 24 hours. I can tell you.”

Hegseth, 44, a staunch conservative who supports Trump's “America First” policies, is pushing to make the military more lethal. During an interview on “The Shawn Ryan Show” podcast, he said allowing women to serve in combat hurts those efforts.

“Anything that has to do with men and women serving together complicates the situation, and the complication in combat means the casualties are greater,” Hegseth said.

And while he said diversity in the military is a strength, he said that's because minorities and white men “can perform equally,” but the same doesn't apply to women.

While Trump praised Hegseth as “tenacious, 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 be Pentagon chief in name only, since that Trump White House heads the department.

A number of other names floated as possible defense options included Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama, the Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee; retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg; Sen. 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 reason to be concerned that this is not a person who is a serious enough policymaker and is not serious enough about implementing policy to be successful,” said Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the House Defense Committee.

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

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

Military officials said the decision came out of the blue. A senior military officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said Hegseth's selection raised concerns about whether he had the practical experience to lead a large department with an enormous budget.

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

If confirmed, Hegseth would face a daunting array of global crises Wars in the Middle East And Ukraine and the expansion Alliance between Russia and North Korea to the growing competition with China. There is also a need to modernize America's complex missile and nuclear defense apparatus and ensure that the defense industry can keep pace with America's weapons system needs.

Smith said that while Hegseth's combat experience was an advantage, running the Pentagon required many other skills and his nomination would require some time for consideration.

“What's your plan?” What are you going to do? … How can you assure us that this lack of experience will not make it impossible for you to do the job?'' Smith said. “I think these are questions that need to be answered in the next few months.”

Even some Senate Republicans — who would vote on his nomination — reacted cautiously.

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 it.” , to find out more.” .”

North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven said he wasn't surprised Trump chose Hegseth because Trump “is close to him and likes him and trusts him.”

“The guy is obviously extremely capable, a great communicator,” Hoeven said. “I’m looking forward to getting to know him better.”

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

Hegseth has written for Fox News since 2014 and developed 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 guard – 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 courageous 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.