US President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Fox News host and military veteran Pete Hegseth, a pro-Israel and Iran hawk, to become his secretary of defense, calling him “tough, smart and a true supporter of America First.”

The 44-year-old’s appointment to lead the world’s most powerful military was criticized by Democrats, who highlighted his “lack of experience” on the world stage.

“The position of secretary of defense should not be an entry-level position,” Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said on X.

So who is Hegseth and will his inexperience prevent him from fulfilling his duties as head of the Pentagon?

Who is Pete Hegseth?

Hegseth, who served Afghanistan and Iraq, joined Fox News as a contributor in 2014 and now co-hosts Fox and Friends Weekend and is also the host of Fox Nation.

He is also the author of several books, including The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free, which received praise from Trump.

The War on Warriors, a bestseller, “reveals the left’s betrayal of our warriors and how we must return our military to meritocracy, lethality, accountability and excellence,” the president wrote elected, according to the AFP news agency.

Hegseth has defended service members accused of war crimes and in 2019 he urged Trump to pardon US service members accused of war crimes. According to the Washington Post, Hegseth’s lobbying of Trump in 2019 resulted in the pardon of two service members accused of murder and the reinstatement of a third who was convicted of posing with a dead body in Iraq .

The 44-year-old developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on his Fox News show.

He also ran unsuccessfully for the Minnesota Senate in 2012.

According to his Fox News bio, he holds a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He also earned a degree from Princeton University.

Hegseth lives with his wife and seven children in the southern state of Tennessee.

What was his role in the army?

After graduating from Princeton University in 2003, Hegseth was commissioned as an infantry captain in the Army National Guard, serving overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as Guantanamo Bay. He received two Bronze Star medals for his military service, according to his official website.

The 44-year-old veteran once headed Concerned Veterans for America, a group backed by conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch.

What challenges await them?

Hegseth served in the military, although he lacked military or national security experience.

The Department of Defense has a budget of more than $800 billion, with approximately 1.3 million troops on active duty and an additional 1.4 million in the National Guard, Army Reserve and civilian employees in the whole world.

If confirmed, Hegseth would face the daunting task of tackling a range of global conflicts – from Israel’s war against Gaza and Lebanon to Russia’s war with Ukraine – and the alliance growing between Russia and North Korea until the rise of China.

Smith, the Democrat, said that while Hegseth’s combat experience is a plus, running the Pentagon requires many other skills.

“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 the job? Smith said.

“I think these are questions that will need to be answered over the next few months.”

While running the Pentagon is considered a key position in any administration, the position of Secretary of Defense had a tumultuous time during Trump’s first term, between 2016 and 2020. Five men held the position during Trump’s four years. .

What is his position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Iran?

Hegseth has been pro-Israeli in his coverage of the Gaza war and has called the two-state solution a “two-state solution.” “from lip service”. He produced a series – Battle in the Holy Land: Israel at War – on the ongoing Israeli war against Gaza and interviewed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in March.

“My interview with Israeli Prime Minister @netanyahu today. Israel needs our support! he job the X in March.

As an evangelical Christian, he views the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a biblical lens.

“It is not a mystical land that can be dismissed. This is the story of God’s chosen people. This story did not end in 1776, nor in 1948, nor with the founding of the UN. All of these things still resonate and matter today,” Hegseth said in a 2016 article. interview with the Jewish press.

Hegseth has also been hawkish toward Iran, calling Tehran “an evil regime” following the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force, in 2020.

Will he start a culture war?

Hegseth’s choice could bring sweeping changes within the military, as he has made clear on his show and in interviews that, like Trump, he is fiercely opposed to “woke” programs that promote fairness and inclusion.

Trump told Fox News in June that he would fire generals he called “woke,” a term for those who focus on racial and social justice but is used by conservatives to disparage progressive policies.

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

Hegseth wrote in the book published in June: “Over the past three years – after President Barack Obama laid the groundwork for social justice – the Pentagon, in all its branches, has embraced social justice messaging on equity gender, racial diversity, climate stupidity and LGBTQA+. alphabet soup in their recruiting efforts.

His conservative agenda could put him on a collision course with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. CQ Brown. Hegseth accused Brown of “pursuing the radical positions of left-wing politicians.”

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.

Hegseth said he left the military in 2021 after being sidelined because of his political and religious views by a military that no longer wanted him.

“The feeling was mutual: I didn’t want that army anymore either,” Hegseth said in his book The War on Warriors.

What does he think of NATO, the Russian-Ukrainian war and China?

Hegseth has been a vocal critic of the United States’ European allies and his choice could fuel greater anxiety among NATO members about what the Trump administration would mean for the alliance.

“Overwhelmed, disarmed, invaded and powerless. Why should America, the European “emergency number” of the last century, listen to the self-righteous and powerless nations who ask us to honor outdated and unilateral defense arrangements that they no longer respect? Hegseth wrote in his book.

“Maybe if NATO countries would mobilize for their own defense, but they don’t. They just yell about the rules while emptying their armies and screaming for America’s help. »

In appearances on podcasts and television, he said China was building a military “specifically dedicated to defeating the United States of America.”

“They have a complete long-term vision of not only regional but global domination and we have our heads held high,” Hegseth said on another podcast last week.

He also said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 appeared to be “a Putin war to get my shit back.”

Trump criticized President Joe Biden’s aid to Ukraine, fueling concerns about the future of support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government under a Republican-controlled White House, Senate and possibly House of Representatives.

“If Ukraine can defend itself… that’s great, but I don’t want an American intervention to go deep into Europe and make (Putin) feel like he’s after it,” he said. Hegseth.

How has his appointment been received so far?

Trump praised Hegseth as “tough, smart and a true believer in America First” in a social media post announcing the nomination.

“With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies know: Our military will be great again, and America will never back down,” Trump said in his statement.

“No one fights harder for the troops, and Pete will be a courageous and patriotic champion of our “Peace Through Strength” policy.

Smith, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, emphasized his inexperience.

“There is cause for concern that this is not a serious enough person to decide or implement policies serious enough to do a successful job. »

Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, 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.

But the Republicans gave a thumbs up.

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