Hegseth’s election could bring radical changes to the military. He has made it clear on his show and in interviews that, like Trump, he opposes “woke” programs that promote equity and inclusion. He also questioned the role of women in combat and advocated pardoning service members accused of war crimes.

In June, at a rally in Las Vegas, Trump encouraged supporters to buy Hegseth’s book and said that if he won the presidency, “The woke stuff will be gone in a 24-hour period. I can tell you.”

Hegseth, 44, a staunch conservative who embraces Trump’s “America First” policies, has pushed to make the military more lethal. During an interview on “The Shawn Ryan Show” podcast, he said that allowing women to serve in combat harms that effort.

“Everything about men and women serving together makes the situation more complicated, and the complications in combat, which means the casualties are worse,” Hegseth said.

And while he said diversity in the military is a strength, he said it’s because minority and white men may perform similarly, but the same isn’t true of women.

By opening up combat slots for women, “we’ve changed the standards of putting them in there, which means you’ve changed the capability of that unit,” Hegseth said in the podcast interview.

Since then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter opened all combat roles to women in 2016, women have successfully passed the Army’s grueling tests to become Green Berets and Rangers, as well as the Naval Special Warfare test to serve as aircrew. battle – boat operators. which carries Navy SEALs and conducts its own classified missions at sea.

While Trump praised Hegseth as “tough, smart and a true believer in America First,” others were quick to point out the TV personality’s inexperience. Some have suggested he could be Pentagon chief in name only, as the Trump White House runs the department.

A number of other names floated as possible defense options included Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee; retired General Keith Kellogg; Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa; and Robert Wilkie, a former Pentagon official who served as head of the Department of Veterans Affairs during Trump’s first term.

“There are concerns that this is not a serious enough policymaker, serious enough about policy implementation, to do a successful job,” said Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee. of the Chamber.

Mark Cancian, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Hegseth’s lack of national security experience makes it more difficult to get Senate confirmation.

“I think Trump got tired of fighting with his defense secretaries and picked one who was loyal to him,” Cancian said.

Military officials said the choice came out of the blue. A senior military officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said Hegseth’s selection raises concerns about whether he has the practical experience to manage a large department with a huge budget .

The Department of Defense has a budget in excess of $800 billion, with approximately 1.3 million troops on active duty and another 1.4 million in the National Guard, Reserves and civilian employees based around the world.

If confirmed, Hegseth would face a daunting array of global crises, from the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine and the expanding alliance between Russia and North Korea to growing competition with China. There is also a need to modernize the complex US nuclear and missile defense apparatus and to ensure that the defense industry can keep up with America’s need for weapons systems.

Smith said that while Hegseth’s combat experience is a plus, running the Pentagon requires a host of other skill sets, and his nomination will take some time to be considered.

“What is your plan? What are you going to do? … How can you assure us that this lack of experience, you know, won’t make it impossible for you to do the job?” Smith said. “I think those are questions that need to be answered in the next couple of months.”

Even some Senate Republicans, who would vote for his nomination, had a modest response.

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis called the choice “interesting.” Indiana Sen. Todd Young, who served in the Marine Corps, said, “I don’t know much about his background or his vision, so I’m looking forward to learning more.”

North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven said he was not surprised Trump chose Hegseth because Trump is “close to him, likes him and trusts him.”

“Obviously, the guy is tremendously capable, a great communicator,” Hoeven said. “I look forward to getting to know him better.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Hegseth brings a lot to the table and will have “a reform mind in areas that need reform.”

Hegseth has been a Fox News contributor since 2014, developing a friendship with Trump, who has made regular appearances on his show. He is the author of The War Against the Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the People Who Make Us Free.

“With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice — our military will be great again, and America will not back down,” Trump said in a statement. “No one fights harder for the troops, and Pete will be a courageous and patriotic champion of our ‘Peace Through Strength’ policy.”

Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in New York and Lisa Mascaro, Mary Clare Jalonick and Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.