Donald Trump has nominated Pete Hegseth, a Fox News Channel host, to be his secretary of defense.
An Army National Guard officer who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mr Hegseth is a former executive director of Vets For Freedom, a political advocacy group, and Concerned Veterans for America.
Mr Hegseth currently co-hosts Fox & Friends Weekend having joined the network as a contributor in 2014. He is said to have developed a friendship with Trump at Fox, with the president-elect making regular appearances on the show.
In a statement on Tuesday evening, Mr Trump said: “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.”
The appointment of Mr Hegseth follows a series of other nominations on Tuesday, as Mr Trump assembles his Cabinet.
Earlier in the day he announced that John Ratcliffe, a former director of national intelligence would lead the Central Intelligence Agency.
Mr Ratcliffe rose to attention in 2019 as an ardent defender of Mr Trump during the House’s first impeachment proceedings against the then president. He was a member of Mr Trump’s impeachment advisory team and strenuously questioned witnesses during the impeachment hearings.
