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President-elect Donald Trump has not wasted a single moment since his election win in curating his Cabinet and assorted staff—with his choice of the new Secretary of Defense having "stunned" the Pentagon.
Knewz.com has learned that Trump has nominated former National Guard officer and Fox News host Peter "Pete" Hegseth as the new Defense Secretary of the United States, a person who has been called the "least qualified nominee" for the position in American history.
Hegseth is an avid supporter of Trump and his "America First" policies and has been described as "beyond loyal" to the Republican President-elect.
Trump's relationship with the military was rather strenuous during his first Presidential term, and as he prepares to resume as the nation's Commander-in-Chief for the second time, concerns are high among the top brass of the U.S. military.
Military leaders in the U.S. are reportedly engaging in informal discussions about how they would handle a potentially "unlawful" order from President Trump—since his ascension to the White House was marked by threats of using the National Guard and the nation's military to suppress "enemies from within."
A Trump "fan" being nominated as the head of the armed forces of the nation has therefore given rise to added concerns.
Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, pointed out, "I think Trump was tired of fighting with his secretaries of defense and picked one who would be loyal to him."
It has been reported that while many have called Hegseth "tremendously capable" and called his combat experience an asset, some Republican lawmakers have reportedly "had a muted response" to the nomination.
According to reports, Hegseth is a former member of the Minnesota National Guard. During his military career, he served in three tours to Iraq and Afghanistan as a platoon commander and civil-military operations officer.
He was also awarded two Bronze Stars as well as a Combat Infantryman Badge for his military service.
It has been pointed out that, in contrast, the current Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin is a retired four-star General.
Reports have also noted that Trump chose Hegseth over several noted national security officials who have proven their worth in their respective positions, while Hegseth has been described as "largely inexperienced and untested on the global stage."
Paul Rieckhoff, an Iraq War veteran and founder of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Association, commented on Trump's Defense Secretary nomination on social media, saying:
"I first met Hegseth when he started running Vets for Freedom around 2007. He is a highly effective and ferocious media, culture, and political warrior for MAGA. And beyond loyal to and trusted by Trump."
Rieckhoff further stated that he never thought the Fox News host would be appointed the Secretary of Defense and that he "figured Trump would probably pick him for Chief of Staff or Press Secretary."
The Iraq veteran added an ominous remark regarding the nomination, calling Hegseth "the most overtly political" and "undoubtedly the least qualified nominee for SecDef in American history."
"Brace yourself, America," Rieckhoff added.
Washington Representative Adam Smith, the Democratic leader of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement following Trump's announcement of the nominee, "There is reason for concern that this is not a person who is a serious enough policymaker, serious enough policy implementer, to do a successful job."
Along with his reported "inexperience," Hegseth's ideology is potentially cause for concern as well—since he has repeatedly claimed that he is against “woke” programs that promote equity and inclusion.
It is worth noting that Hegseth has reportedly questioned the appointment of women in active military combat and has also called for pardoning military personnel accused and charged with war crimes.
Speaking on The Shawn Ryan Show podcast, Hegseth essentially called the deployment of women in combat a handicap to the military and suggested that it makes the armed forces less effective.
"Everything about men and women serving together makes the situation more complicated, and complication in combat, that means casualties are worse," the Defense Secretary nominee said during an interview on the podcast.
He further claimed that "diversity in the military is a strength" because men of different races and communities can perform at a similar level, while that is not the case with women.
He said on the podcast that by opening combat slots to women, “we’ve changed the standards in putting them there, which means you’ve changed the capability of that unit.”
Notably, it has been pointed out that Hegseth's reported "anti-woke" agenda is in line with that of Trump, who said at a Las Vegas rally in June that if he won the White House race in 2024, "The woke stuff will be gone within a period of 24 hours. I can tell you."
Trump has also lauded Hegseth as a "tough, smart" individual and "a true believer in America First."
On the other hand, the top brass of the U.S. military are left to strategize what they ought to do in the event Trump does force an "unlawful" or unconstitutional choice upon them – like turning their guns upon fellow American citizens for protesting against the President and aiding in Trump's proposed mass deportation – and the Pentagon fails to push back on the orders.
With Hegseth as the Pentagon chief, a pushback on orders coming down from President Trump would be unlikely.
Hegseth's nomination is currently awaiting confirmation from the U.S. Senate.