Donald Trump’s defence secretary is war veteran and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth. The 44-year-old recently assumed the Pentagon post, with vice president JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote – marking the second time in history a vice president has made such a decision for a cabinet nominee.
Pete Hegseth, a veteran of the Army National Guard who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was a popular conservative media personality before his appointment by Donald Trump. He graduated from Princeton University in 2003 and later became an infantry officer in the Army National Guard. Additionally, he served overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as at Guantanamo Bay. Hegseth was the former head of Concerned Veterans for America, a group supported by conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch. He also made an unsuccessful Senate run in Minnesota in 2012 and was a co-host of Fox News Channel’s Fox & Friends Weekend programme for a decade.
Despite having no experience in senior military or national security, Hegseth’s critics argue that he is not qualified for the defence secretary role.
In his book “The War On Warriors: Behind The Betrayal Of The Men Who Keep Us Free,” Hegseth made controversial remarks about transgender servicemembers and questioned the role of women in combat. He has also defended service members accused of war crimes, urging Trump to pardon them, resulting in successful efforts in some cases.
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The review was initiated at the request of Republican Senator Roger Wicker and Democratic Senator Jack Reed, both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.