President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host and military veteran, for the position of Secretary of Defense. The decision has sparked reactions from military interest groups and raised concerns regarding Hegseth’s leadership experience for the top Pentagon job.

At 44, Hegseth presently holds the position of co-host on Fox & Friends Weekend and carries the rank of major in the Army National Guard. His military history encompasses deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay, for which he received two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman Badge.

This nomination signifies a major shift from recent Pentagon heads. Prior Defense Secretaries such as Lloyd Austin, Mark Esper, and James Mattis each offered years of top-level military command experience. Austin’s military career spanned 41 years, earning him a Silver Star, while Mattis led Marines at different levels throughout his 40-year career.

Hegseth’s military background features service as an infantry platoon leader and civil-military operations officer in Samarra, Iraq, and as a top counterinsurgency instructor in Kabul, Afghanistan. He has also headed conservative veterans’ groups such as Concerned Veterans for America and Vets for Freedom.

The nominee has been vocal about his views on military policy, including his opposition to women in combat roles and his critique of military diversity initiatives. Hegseth has asserted that “The military’s only concern should be war fighting”.

In Trump’s initial term, Hegseth pushed for pardons for U.S. service members accused of war crimes, managing to influence several cases despite resistance from then-Defense Secretary Esper and other military officials.

If Hegseth is confirmed, he will be leading the Department of Defense during a period of numerous international challenges, which include the ongoing war in Ukraine by Russia, Middle Eastern conflicts, and rising apprehensions about alliances between Russia and North Korea.

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has voiced her opposition to the nomination, stating that a Fox & Friends weekend co-host does not possess the qualifications to be the Secretary of Defense.

The role of Defense Secretary was quite challenging during Trump’s first term, with the position being held by four different individuals over a span of four years.