President Donald Trump has chosen Fox News Channel host Pete Hegseth as his new Secretary of Defense. This has come as a surprise to Pete and several critics serving in the Department of Defense. Besides being known as a well-known host for Fox News, there is a lot that is unknown to readers about the new Defense Secretary. Here’s everything to know about Pete Hegseth.
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USA Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth Personal Life
Pete Hegseth, the newly appointed Defense Secretary under President Donald Trump graduated from Princeton University in 2003 and also has a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He published a student-run journal called the Princeton Tory. He was born on June 6, 1980, in the US State of Minnesota and is now 44 years old. He enrolled in the military and after years of service, he received several titles and badges. He was a platoon leader and was awarded the title of Major.
Pete met his current wife Jennifer Rauchet while working at Fox News. As an Executive Producer at Fox News, Jennifer worked with Pete. They both came out of their former marriages and tied the knot in 2019. While Jennifer was married twice previously and has three kids from the former marriages, a daughter and two sons, Pete has three kids from his former wife, Samantha Deering. While still being married to Samantha in August 2017, Hegseth shared a daughter with Jennifer Rauchet, with whom he was having an affair. The Fox News host and Defense Secretary has a net worth of $18 million, of which $5 million is earned through Fox News. He also has $9.2 million from real estate assets, with an annual income of $6.1 million.
American Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Career in the Military
During his tenure in the National Army Guard, he received the rank of Major in 2014. He earned a BA from the University of Princeton and his MPP from Harvard University. Pete is known for his service in the military in Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, Samara, Cuba, and Baghdad and was awarded two bronze stars for his work overseas. He is now a retired Army National Guard Officer after contributing for a decade. He also served as a civil affairs officer in Afghanistan, where he was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Army Commendation Medal with Valor.
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United States Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth Political Career
The Defense Secretary is known for his work as CEO of Concerned Veterans for America. He supported the Republican cause. He gained fame through his political news on Fox News. There, he often discussed military issues, veterans’ affairs, and conservative state policies. Through his media popularity, he advocated for the war veteran’s cause and also became a prominent member of Fox News. In 2016, when Trump decided his first cabinet, he considered Hegseth to run the Department of Veteran Affairs.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth Controversies
Defended service members accused of war crimes
The New Defense Secretary has made the headlines with his strong views on certain issues. In 2019, Hegseth pleaded with Trump several times to pardon a few US military servicemen for their war crimes on his channel Fox News. The case was raised on social media. His post tagged the servicemen and said it would be “amazing” to consider the plea. The pleas were heard, and later that year, two service members were pardoned. Eddie Gallagher, a former Navy SEAL was demoted and restored to his rank. A former U.S. commando was also pardoned who was on trial for killing a suspected Afghan bomb-maker.
Views on women serving in combat
His views regarding women fighting in combat have also been questioned. A war veteran himself, Hegseth stated in one of his books, “The War on Warriors”, that women should not be allowed in combat. On “The Shawn Ryan Show”, he spoke about how recruiting women combats has not made the U.S. army effective, or more lethal, “it has only made fighting complicated. Having served with women, he mentions that the institutions do not have to incentivize recruiting in places where traditionally, or over human history, men in those places have been more capable.” Adding his resentment over women in “physical, labor-intensive jobs” such as those in Navy SEAL’s, Army Special Forces, etc. where strength is the differentiator, he believed that such places should not have female recruits.
Views on “Woke” culture
The most integral part of his views was on the diversity programs included in the military and how he saw them as a new woke culture. “Woke shit has got to go.”, he mentioned in the podcast. This is not a singular view but a shared contempt over the so-called “woke” policies of Pentagon leaders. However, Trump mentions “I am honored to announce that I have nominated Pete Hegseth to serve in my Cabinet as The Secretary of Defense. Pete has spent his entire life as a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country. 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…” in his statement shared with Truth Social.
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Upcoming tasks on the global crises
The Defense Secretary would be responsible for leading the Pentagon amid a range of intensifying conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine war, the Middle East attacks, the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah and Hamas, and growing concerns about Russia’s alliance with North Korea. The Defense Secretary’s position was turbulent during Trump’s first term, even though the Pentagon is regarded as a central position in any administration. During Trump’s four years in office, five men held the position.
The Pentagon is, however, bracing itself for a Trump-led Defense Department, as reported by CNN. The Defense Secretary has stated his intention to “clean out corrupt actors” from the U.S. national security system and revamp the federal government with loyalists.
