President-elect Donald Trump announced that he has nominated Fox News host Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense; An unexpected election sent shockwaves through Capitol Hill.

The announcement was initially met with surprise, but was quickly accepted by congressional Republicans. Hegseth’s name was not included in any public reports about this role, and It was reported that no contact was made About work until Monday. Hegseth’s selection marks a significant departure from the rest of Trump’s national security team, which consists largely of current and former members of Congress.

Hegseth is an Army National Guard officer who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay; a major in the Army Reserve; Graduate of Princeton and Harvard; two-time Bronze Star awardee; a long-time conservative and seasoned activist; and a short-lived U.S. Senate candidate. But he is best known for his role on Fox News, where he is currently the weekend host.

Other than his brief stint at the Manhattan Institute, Hegseth has no significant leadership experience on a massive institutional scale and no known experience in policymaking or analysis.

Trump was reportedly considered an advisor on military matters during his first term, particularly calling for pardons of soldiers accused of war crimes and leading the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Several MPs said Jewish Insider they do not know Hegseth well enough to offer their own views.

Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) called the election “interesting” without further comment.

Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) replied“Wow” and he said he was surprised.

You. “I have no idea about his background or his vision for the department,” Todd Young (R-IN) said. He did not elaborate.

Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), according to reporters’ account of the election, in question“Really? … I should have thought about that.”

But Senate Republicans, who gathered to discuss the next majority leader when Hegseth’s nomination was announced, appeared to quickly warm to the choice, indicating Hegseth’s chances of confirmation are strong.

You. “I think he will be a very strong secretary of defense,” Joni Ernst (R-IA) told JI. Speaking about his qualifications, Ernst said, “He served with the 34th infantry division based in Minnesota and Iowa.”

Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) told JI that “the combination of Mike Waltz and Pete Hegseth will be powerful,” adding, “These guys focus on lethality and peace through force and go after our real enemies. Read his bio, it’s a good combination will be.”

Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) in question He would weigh in on Hegseth’s candidacy while admitting he didn’t know much about the Fox News host.

“I’ll look at his biography, but at this stage of the game he seems absolutely fascinating to me. I’m excited to go back and meet him, talk to him, but I think the president has made excellent choices so far,” Rounds told JI.

“We’ll do our due diligence, but I’m not going to start by complaining,” Rounds continued. “I want to know more about him too, but he definitely has a good background and he seems to have a background that could come in handy. “We need some energy in the Department of Defense, and it’s clear we need to go in a different direction than we’re going in now.”

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) said he was “surprised” by the news of Hegseth’s candidacy, adding that he planned to reach out directly later Tuesday evening and was excited about the selection.

“I am shocked. I didn’t talk to him. I’ll text him as soon as I get out of here. “Peace through force, and I think it falls right in line with Donald Trump’s America First way of negotiating every situation through force,” Cramer told JI. “It is consistent with other elections. I think he’s great. He’ll need help. “He’s going to run a really, really, really big, diverse, tough department, but he’s certainly busted the Trump doctrine.”

“I love Pete. I am grateful for his service and strong leadership,” Sen said. Ted Cruz (R-TX).

After JI asked about Hegseth’s candidacy, Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) responded: “This is the first I’ve heard of it, so I had to think about it. I saw him on TV. I don’t know much about his past. “Obviously he’s a veteran, one of the best out there, so it’s not a bad deal.”

Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and the person publicly named for the position, in question He did not know Hegseth and had never met him.

Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), the Armed Services ranking member, said he had “no idea who (Hegseth) was” before the pick was announced, that Hegseth’s “lack of experience was concerning” and that he was concerned about a specific issue regarding the Department of Defense. “He doesn’t seem to have any background, but I guess we’ll see what he has to say.”

Smith added that Hegseth appeared to lack the management experience to run “the world’s largest bureaucracy” and had no apparent relationships with overseas partners; This will be critical given the many global conflicts currently raging, Smith said. He said Hegseth’s military experience was “useful” but also emphasized the principle of civilian control of the military and said the skills involved were significantly different.

Hegseth advocated an aggressive approach towards Iran. to encourage Trump Threatening in early 2020 to attack Iran’s infrastructure, oil facilities, nuclear facilities, and potentially cultural sites if these were used to store weapons.

“If we’re going to fight to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear bomb, that is, this regime, then we need to rewrite the rules to our advantage,” he said, suggesting that international laws were “rigged to help (Iran).” that we cannot win.”

hegseth he said more recently The United States needs to allow Israel to attack Iran and lift any restrictions imposed on Iran.

One interview with Jewish Press in 2016Hegseth emphasized his evangelical upbringing and said his service in the military taught him “where Israel stands and where antisemitism comes from” and to appreciate the Jewish people and Israel.

“I understand how geopolitically connected we are and how critical it is that we stand with such a powerful ally,” he continued.

He praised Israel’s “pervasive sense of purpose” and said there was much the United States could learn from its ally.

“God’s people in the state of Israel understand their role,” Hegseth continued. “This understanding strengthens their ability to defend the fundamental principles of the West: free people, democracy and self-government. “These are the principles that I embrace when I look at Israel and that I say we need to remind America of.”

Hegseth had expressed concern at the time about the toleration and promotion of anti-Semitism in higher education, and had recently hosted a Fox broadcast series on the subject that explored anti-Semitic protests on campus.

Hegseth a critic Cutting off U.S. funding to Ukraine accuses the administration of ignoring domestic issues. On Fox in 2022, Hegseth said the war in Ukraine “pales in comparison to the crime I see on my streets, the vigilance I see in my culture, the inflation I see in my wallet, the real frontier I care about.” “This is the completely open southern border.”

That happened too outspoken against diversity efforts At the Pentagon, he called for the firing of the chief of staff and senior officials involved in diversity programs.

Leading voices in the conservative foreign policy world are also lining up behind the choice.

Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, called Hegseth “a great choice.”

Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser to FDD who served on the National Security Council in the first Trump administration, said Hegseth was “a true patriot and a great American.” He is aligned in views and values ​​with the President and his other key senior national security nominees. Great instincts.”

Jason Brodsky, policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran. in questionReferring to Hegseth’s recent comments, he stated that observers should “expect more US support for Israel and covert action and sabotage operations”, calling Hegseth’s approach “Ayatollah Khamenei’s worst nightmare”.