Who is Pete Hegseth: Meet Fox News host and army veteran with no national security experience that Trump has picked as his new Secretary of Defense

Donald Trump has made a surprise move for his new cabinet team, appointing Fox News host and army veteran Pete Hegseth as his new Secretary of Defense. 

The appointment, which was announced on Tuesday, was part of a wider move by Trump to bolster his national security team ahead of his impending second term as President. 

Trumps decision to nominate Hegseth, 44, as his new Secretary of Defense has come as a shock as he has no previous national security experience. 

So, who exactly is Pete Hegseth? What is his military background and how does he know Trump?

Read on below for everything you need to know about the man Trump has announced to serve as his defense secretary.  

Fox anchors Pete Hegseth, Ainsley Earhardt and Brian Kilmeade interview entrepreneur and venture capitalist Peter Thiel during Fox & Friends at Fox News Channel Studios on August 9 2019 in New York City

What is Pete Hegseths current job?

Currently, Hegseth is the co-host of Fox News Channels Fox & Friends Weekend show, having worked as a contributor to the network for a decade. 

In a statement, a Fox News spokesperson complimented Hegseths military knowledge, saying that his insights and analysis especially about the military resonated deeply with our viewers.

What are Pete Hegseths military credentials?

A photo from his social media platforms shows seen in military gear. Hegseth served overseas in Afghanistan, Iraq and at Guantanamo Bay

After graduating from Princeton University in 2003, Hegseth was commissioned as an infantry captain in the Army National Guard, serving overseas in Afghanistan, Iraq and at Guantanamo Bay.

He was formerly head of the Concerned Veterans for America, a group backed by conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch, and also unsuccessfully ran for the Senate in Minnesota in 2012. 

According to his Fox News bio, he has a master´s degree in public policy from Harvard University´s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

What does Pete Hegseth think about women in combat?

This image from Hegseths Instagram account shows him posing in a t-shirt adorned with the American flag. Hegseth has previously been critical of the notion that women should be allowed in combat

The appointment of Hegseth as defense secretary is seen as a move by Trump to ensure a smoother relationship with a department he frequently clashed with during his first term as President. 

Hegseth has previously been critical of the notion that women should be allowed in combat, saying that, in his opinion, the military has lowered standards to allow women to serve in such roles.

Speaking about his book The War on Warriors, which was published in June, Hegseth expressed his surprised that there hasnt been more blowback on the book, because Im straight up just saying, we should not have women in combat roles.

Appearing on The Shawn Ryan Show last week, he said: It hasnt made us more effective, hasnt made us more lethal, has made fighting more complicated. Weve all served with women, and theyre great. 

But our institutions dont have to incentivize that in places where, traditionally — not traditionally, over human history — men in those positions are more capable.

He also said that he does not see why, in his view, women should not be permitted to work in physical, labor-intensive type jobs, such as those with the Navy SEALs, Army Rangers, Army Special Forces or Marine Special Operations. 

Im talking about something where strength is the differentiator, he continued.

Hegseth has also criticized the militarys diversity programs, saying on the same podcast: Woke s*** has got to go.

Either youre in for warfighting and thats it, thats the only litmus test we care about, he added. 

Youve got to get DEI and CRT out of military academies so youre not training young officers to be baptized in this type of thinking.

How do Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth know each other?

U.S. President Donald Trump is interviewed by Fox and Friends co-host Pete Hegseth at the White House in Washington on April 6 2017 (File image)

Hegseth is seen sporting a tuxedo complete with an American flag on his belt buckle and a customised jacket that has the flag featured as its interior lining

Prior to being appointed as defense secretary, Hegseth developed a friendship with Trump through the president-elects regular appearances on his Fox show.

In 2019, Hegseth urged Trump to pardon U.S. service members who had been accused of war crimes by interviewing relatives on Fox News. 

He also posted on social media that pardons from Trump would be amazing and subsequently added hashtags to various posts online.

The effort was successful, with Trump that year pardoning a former U.S. Army commando set to stand trial in the killing of a suspected Afghan bomb-maker. 

It also saw a former Army lieutenant previously convicted of murder for ordering his men to fire upon three Afghans, killing two, pardoned for his crimes. 

What books has Pete Hegseth written?

Aside from The War on Warriors, Hegseth has written five other books, which centre on the U.S. Armed Forces and his thoughts on American politics

His further works include American Crusade: Our Fight To Stay Free, The Case Against The Establishment and, lastly, In The Arena: Good Citizens, A Great Republic, and How One Speech Can Reinvigorate America

Aside from The War on Warriors, Hegseth has written five other books, which centre on the U.S. Armed Forces and his thoughts on American politics.

Published at various points between 2016 and 2022, these include: Battle For The American Mind: Uprooting A Century Of Miseducation, Modern Warriors: Real Stories from Real Heroes, which sees Hegseth speak to U.S. veterans. 

His further works include American Crusade: Our Fight To Stay Free, The Case Against The Establishment and, lastly, In The Arena: Good Citizens, A Great Republic, and How One Speech Can Reinvigorate America. 

Is Pete Hegseth married?

Hegseth is married to television producer Jennifer Cunningham Rauchet, with the pair tying the knot back in 2019

The couple are seen attending the annual Patriot Awards. which celebrates American patriotism by honoring everyday heroes across the country who have shown dedication to [the] nation

Hegseth is married to television producer Jennifer Cunningham Rauchet, with the pair tying the knot back in 2019. 

Hegseth has two previous marriages, having been married to Meredith Schwarz between 2004 and 2009 before going on to marry Samantha Deering. 

However, after seven years of marriage, the pair divorced one another in 2017, but do have three children from their time together, named Gunner, Bonne, and Rex. 

Following an extramarital relationship with Rauchet while he was married to Deering, Hegseth welcomed a daughter with the former, who was born in August 2017. 

Along with having a child of their own together, Hegseth is a father to Rauchets three children from her first marriage: Kenzie, Jackson and Luke.