Trump appoints pro-Israel, Iran hawk Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense

On Tuesday, President-elect Donald Trump made a series of key announcements, naming several individuals to critical cabinet and administration positions ahead of Inauguration Day.

Among the picks so far have been some staunchly pro-Israel voices, including Elise Stefanik as UN ambassador, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee for ambassador to Israel, and Steven Witkoff as special envoy to the Middle East. 

In a surprising move, Trump announced Fox News anchor Pete Hegseth as his choice for Secretary of Defense. Hegseth, a Minnesota native raised in a Baptist family, served in the U.S. Army National Guard and has been a vocal advocate for Israel throughout his tenure at Fox News, where he also developed a close relationship with Trump.

Given Hegseth's limited experience in national security and military command some people were surprised by Trump's choice. However, Hegseth served as an infantry captain in the Army National Guard, with deployments in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantanamo Bay.

Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said his appointment “deserves extremely close scrutiny.” 

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said Hegseth is “not qualified” for the position. 

Hegseth was formerly head of the Concerned Veterans for America, a group backed by conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch, which advocates for veterans' issues. 

During Trump’s previous term, Hegseth urged the president to pardon several U.S. service members accused of war crimes. Trump ended up pardoning several of the soldiers that Hegseth named. 

“Pete has spent his entire life as a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country,” Trump said in a statement. “Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First. With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice – Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down. Nobody fights harder for the Troops, and Pete will be a courageous and patriotic champion of our ‘Peace through Strength’ policy.” 

Hegseth recently wrote a book called “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” about the spread of “woke” ideology in military leadership. He has frequently complained about the effects of such ideology on the combat readiness of the military. 

During his time at Fox News, Hegseth has been a firm pro-Israel voice, producing series about the background of the Gaza War called “Battle in the Holy Land” and interviewing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in March. 

Hegseth’s background in an Evangelical family affected his views of Israel, he told Jewish Press in a 2016 interview. 

“Growing up an Evangelical, I obviously had an enormous amount of respect and understanding of the historical resonance of Abraham and religions and how they’re intertwined,” Hegseth said.

He described understanding of the connection between the Jewish people, Israel, and the Bible in the interview. 

“My parents come from a small town in Minnesota where I grew up as a Baptist. I never met a Jewish person until I went to college. When I did, the first thing I said to him was, ‘I read about you in the Bible!’” 

Speaking of the ties between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel, Hegseth said the Bible “reaffirms the ties the Jewish people have to this land that have historical and real geopolitical resonance today.” 

“This is not some mystical land that can be dismissed,” he stated. “It’s the story of God’s chosen people. That story didn’t end in 1776 or in 1948 or with the founding of the UN. All of these things still resonate and matter today.” 

Alongside his strong support for Israel, Hegseth has also expressed strong positions regarding Iran and its nuclear ambitions. 

He had called the Iranian revolutionary government an “evil regime”, and in 2020 said that if Iran wanted “to come back to the table for talks on their nuclear capabilities” it should do so “limping and begging.” 

While saying he is not interested in a war with Iran, he noted the need for definitive action. 

“Sometimes we have moments, and I happen to believe we can’t kick the can down the road any longer in trying to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear bomb,” Hegseth said in an appearance on Fox & Friends.

“What better time than now to say ‘we’re starting the clock, you’ve got a week, you’ve got X amount of time before we start taking out your energy production facilities. We take out key infrastructure, we take out your missile sites, we take out nuclear developments, we take out port capabilities.’” 

If his appointment is approved by the Senate, Hegseth would lead the Pentagon as tensions between Iran and Israel have reached their highest levels in years.