President-elect Donald Trump will nominate Fox News personality and military veteran Pete Hegseth as the next Secretary of Defense.
“Pete spent his life fighting for the troops and for the country,” Trump said in a statement. “Pete is tough, smart and truly believes in America First. With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice: Our military will be great again, and America will never back down.”
Hegseth, 44, is an Army National Guard veteran who has served in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.
Military or national security officials typically fill the role of Secretary of Defense. Lloyd Austinthe current Secretary of Defense, is a retired four-star general who spent 41 years in the military.
Hegseth’s nomination must be confirmed by the Senate.
The television personality has been an outspoken supporter of Trump and defended the people who attacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, saying the mob seeking to overturn the 2020 election results simply “loved freedom.”
During Trump’s first term, Hegseth urged the then-president to pardon accused and convicted war criminals. He too defended Trump’s meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Trump said Hegseth used his time on Fox News to fight for veterans and the military, citing his recent book that showed how “we must return our military to meritocracy, lethality, accountability and excellence.”
“No one fights harder for the troops, and Pete will be a courageous and patriotic champion of our ‘Peace Through Strength’ policy,” the president-elect wrote on his social media platform.