Former TV presenter and ex-infantry officer Pete Hegseth has been appointed Secretary of Defense by US President Donald Trump. However, confirmation in the Senate was only narrowly successful: Vice President J.D. Vance had to break a deadlock with his vote.
Despite an hours-long hearing and detailed written answers from Hegseth three Republican senators, including former Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, voted against him on January 24. Given the narrow Republican majority in the Senate and internal concerns, Hegseth’s confirmation remained uncertain until the end.
Hegseth is best known for his work as a presenter on the Trump-friendly Fox News channel and is considered one of Trump’s more controversial nominations. Apart from an unsuccessful Senate candidacy in Minnesota, he has no political experience. The former National Guard major served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was twice awarded the Bronze Star, but has never led an organization with more than 100 people.
After his nomination, reports, for example in the New York Times, caused a stir: Quotes from emails from his entourage pointed to alleged racist and sexist remarks, alcohol abuse and alleged sexual assaults, including against his ex-wife. Hegseth vehemently denies these allegations and stated that he stands for a so-called “warrior culture” and an end to “wokeness” in the armed forces. During the hearing, he emphasized that he was in no way misogynistic – his criticism of women in combat units related solely to their physical resilience.
In terms of content, Hegseth spoke out in favor of high defense spending: He described a drop in military investment below three percent of gross domestic product (GDP) as “very dangerous”. He advocated the modernization of the nuclear triad and highlighted the “existential importance” of projects such as the B-21 Raider stealth bomber (-> Super-Bomber B-21 Raider flies for the first time), the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile and the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine.
In view of recent sightings of Chinese 6th generation flying wing jets Hegseth warned of a “dangerous development”. Together with the new Air Force Secretary of State Meink, he wants to “take a close look under the hood” of the development of the F-22 successor NGAD. He emphasized: “I have no particular interest in a specific system or company – only in its combat effectiveness against our opponents!”
