President-elect Donald Trump will nominate Fox News personality and military veteran Pete Hegseth to be the next secretary of defense.
“Pete has spent his entire life as a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country,” Trump said in a statement. “Pete is tough, smart and a true believer 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 a veteran of the Army National Guard and served in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.
Career military or national security officials typically fill the role of defense secretary. Lloyd Austin, the current secretary of defense, is a retired four-star general who spent 41 years in the Army.
Hegseth’s nomination must be confirmed by the Senate.
The television personality has been a vocal Trump supporter and defended the people who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, saying that the crowd seeking to overturn the 2020 election results just “loved freedom.”
During Trump’s first term, Hegseth urged the then-president to pardon accused and convicted war criminals. He also 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 showcased how “we must return our Military to meritocracy, lethality, accountability and excellence.”
“Nobody 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.