By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Tuesday he had chosen as his defense secretary Pete Hegseth, a Fox News commentator and veteran who has expressed disdain for the so-called “woke” policies of Pentagon leaders including its top brass. military officer.
Hegseth, if confirmed by the U.S. Senate, could make good on Trump’s campaign promises to eliminate U.S. military generals who are accused of pursuing progressive policies about racial diversity that they oppose.
It could also set the stage for a clash between Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General CQ Brown, a former pilot with command experience in the Pacific and Middle East, whom Hegseth accused of “pursuing hard-line positions. of left-wing politicians.”
The 44-year-old NATO intern is perhaps Trump’s most surprising pick as he fills out his cabinet ahead of the Jan. 20.
Trump, in announcing his decision, praised Hegseth, who is a veteran of the Army National Guard and according to his website served in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
“Pete is strong, smart and a true believer in America First,” Trump said in a statement. “With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are taking notice – Our Army Will Be Great Again, and America Will Not Back Down.”
Although Hegseth has spoken about moderate policy positions in the past, he has criticized NATO allies for being weak and said China is close to dominating its neighbors.
Hegseth said he left the army in 2021 after being sidelined because of his political and religious views by the Army which did not want him.
“The feeling was mutual – I no longer wanted this Army,” said Hegseth in his book “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Free Us.”
There are already concerns in the Pentagon that Trump intends to eliminate military officers and civil servants he deems untrustworthy.
Culture war issues may be the cause of the firing.
Trump told Fox News in June that he would fire generals he described as “rebellious,” a term used by those focused on racial and social justice but used by conservatives to undermine progressive policies.
Hegseth can advocate for such a shot.
“The next president of the United States needs to overhaul the top leadership of the Pentagon to make us ready to defend our nation and defeat our enemies. More people need to be fired,” he wrote in his letter.
Hegseth also focused on Brown, asking if he would have gotten the job if he wasn’t black.
“Was it because of the color of his skin? Or his ability? We will never know, but we always doubt it – which on the face of it seems wrong for CQ. But since he has made the race card one of his biggest calling cards, it is not ‘ Very important,” he wrote.
Former US generals and defense secretaries are among his harshest critics, with some saying he is unfit for office. Angered, Trump suggested that the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, could be executed for treason.
Hegseth also criticized Milley for failing to properly implement Trump’s policies while in office and accused him of being “hands-on” to help Democrats.
EQUIVALENTS ‘THE BEHAVIOR AND THE INDEPENDENT’
Hegseth has been highly critical of America’s European allies and his choice could cause serious concern in NATO about what the Trump administration will mean for the alliance.
“It is old, outdated, attacked, and weak. Why should America, Europe’s ’emergency contact number’ of the last century, listen to self-righteous and powerless countries asking us to respect outdated and one-sided defense systems that no longer live up to them?” Hegseth wrote in his book. .
“Maybe if the NATO countries fight to defend themselves – but they don’t do that. They just complain about the laws while they are expelling their soldiers and calling America for help.”
In his appearances on podcasts and on television, he said China is building a military “directly dedicated to defeating the United States of America.”
“They have a comprehensive long-term vision of not just regional governance but global governance and we’re getting up our asses,” Hegseth said on a podcast last week.
At the same time, Hegseth said that Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine looks like “Putin’s give-me-my-back-war.”
Trump has criticized President Joe Biden’s aid to Ukraine, fueling concerns about the future of support for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s administration under a Republican-controlled White House, Senate and House of Representatives.
“If Ukraine can defend itself… that’s great, but I don’t want American intervention to go deep into Europe and make (Putin) feel like he’s on his heels,” Hegseth said.
(Reporting by Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart and Eric Beech; Editing by Sandra Maler, Leslie Adler and Lincoln Feast.)
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