WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump stunned the Pentagon and the defense world at large by nominating Fox News host Pete Hegseth. to serve as Secretary of Defensebringing in someone largely inexperienced and untested on the world stage to take charge of the world’s largest and most powerful military.

The news was greeted with bewilderment and concern by many in Washington as Trump abandoned a number of established responsibilities. national security heavyweights and chose a National Guard major well-known in conservative circles as co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend.”

While some Republican lawmakers reacted quietly to the announcement, others called his combat experience an asset or said he was “extremely capable.”

The choice of Hegseth could lead radical changes in the army. He has made clear on his show and in interviews that, like Trump, he is opposed to “woke” programs that promote equity and inclusion. He also questioned the role of women in combat and advocated pardons for military personnel accused of war crimes.

In June, at a rally in Las Vegas, Trump encouraged his supporters to buy Hegseth’s book and said that if he won the presidency, “the woke things will be gone within 24 hours.” I can tell you.

Hegseth, 44, a staunch conservative who adheres to Trump’s “America First” policy, has pushed to make the military more lethal. During an interview on “The Shawn Ryan Show” podcast, he said allowing women to serve in combat hurts that effort.

“Everything about men and women serving together makes it more complicated, and combat complications mean casualties are even worse,” Hegseth said.

And while he said diversity in the military is a strength, he said it’s because minority men and white men may perform similarly, but it doesn’t. the same for women.

By opening combat positions to women, “we changed the standards by putting them there, which means you changed the capability of that unit,” Hegseth said in the podcast interview.

Since then-Secretary of Defense Ash Carter opened all combat roles to women in 2016, women have passed the military’s grueling tests to become Green Berets and Army Rangersand the Naval Special Warfare test to serve as crew member of a combat vessel — boat operators who transport Navy SEALs and conduct their own classified missions at sea.

While Trump praised Hegseth as “tough, smart and a true believer in America First,” others were quick to point out the TV personality’s lack of experience. Some have suggested he could be Pentagon chief in name only, since the Trump White House runs the department.

A number of other names have been floated as possible defense choices, including Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., 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 was head of the Department of Veterans Affairs during Trump’s first term.

“There is reason to be concerned that this is not a serious enough person, serious enough to implement policies, to do a successful job,” said Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.

Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Hegseth’s lack of national security experience makes 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 choice came out of nowhere. A senior army 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 needed to manage a large department with a huge budget.

The Department of Defense has a budget exceeding $800 billion, with approximately 1.3 million active-duty troops and 1.4 million National Guard, reserve and civilian employees based around the world. entire.

If confirmed, Hegseth would face a daunting series of global crises, from wars in the Middle East And Ukraine and the expansion alliance between Russia and North Korea to growing competition with China. It is also necessary to modernize the United States’ complex missile and nuclear defense apparatus and ensure that the defense industry can meet America’s needs for weapons systems.

Smith said that while Hegseth’s combat experience is a plus, running the Pentagon requires many other skills, and his nomination will require some review time.

“What’s your plan?” What are you going to do? … How can you assure us that this lack of experience, you know, won’t prevent you from doing this job? Smith said. “I think these are questions that will need to be answered over the next few months.”

Even some Senate Republicans, who would vote on his nomination, had a moderate response.

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis called the choice “interesting.” Indiana Sen. Todd Young, who served in the Marine Corps, said, “I don’t know much about his background or his vision, so I look forward to learning more.” »

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

“This guy is obviously extremely knowledgeable, he’s a great communicator,” Hoeven said. “I can’t wait to get to know him better.”

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

According to the Army, Hegseth served in the Guard from 2002 to 2021 as an infantry officer, but he is not currently serving. He deployed to Iraq in 2005, Afghanistan in 2011 and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in 2004. He has two Bronze Stars.

He has been a contributor to Fox News since 2014, developing a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on his show. He is the author of “The War Against the Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free”.

“With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies know: 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 Jill Colvin in New York and Lisa Mascaro, Mary Clare Jalonick and Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.

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