Pete Hegseth Appointment Sparks Military Fury: ‘Beyond Stupid’

Donald Trump’s appointment of Pete Hegseth, a Fox News commentator and former National Guard officer, as his secretary of defense has sparked controversy within military circles, with one commentator describing him as “the least qualified nominee for SecDef in American history.”
Hegseth’s selection was announced by Trump in a social media post on Tuesday evening. The president-elect said: “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.”
During his first term, Trump had an often tempestuous relationship with the two defense secretaries he appointed, Jim Mattis and Mark Esper, both of whom became highly critical of their former boss after leaving office. Speaking to podcaster Joe Rogan in October, Trump said his biggest mistake in the White House had been appointing “bad people,” including “neocons,” to serve under him.
Hegseth served with the Minnesota National Guard and conducted three tours of Iraq and Afghanistan as a platoon commander and civil-military operations officer. During this time he was awarded two Bronze Stars as well as a Combat Infantryman Badge. He has gone on to make regular Fox News appearances to discuss military matters. If his appointment is confirmed by the Senate, Hegseth would replace current defense secretary Lloyd Austin, a retired four star general.
Newsweek contacted Pete Hegseth, via the Fox News press office, and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign for comment via email on Wednesday outside of regular office hours.
Reacting to Hegseth’s appointment on X, formerly Twitter, Paul Rieckhoff, an Iraq War veteran and founder of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Association, commented: “I first met Hegseth when he started running Vets for Freedom around 2007. He is a highly effective and ferocious media, culture and political warrior for MAGA. And beyond loyal to and trusted by Trump.
“I figured Trump would pick probably pick him for Chief of Staff or Press Secretary. But this…
“Hegseth is undoubtedly the least qualified nominee for SecDef in American history. And the most overtly political. Brace yourself, America.”
Mark Cancian, a former marine who is now a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the Associated Press that Hegseth has “an excellent background as a junior officer but does not have the senior national security experience that secretaries need.”
In a statement Paul Eaton, a former US Army officer and chairman of VoteVets, a group which aims to support veterans and fight “for progressive values,” said: “Pete Hegseth is wholly unqualified to head the Department of Defense and hold the lives of our troops in his hands. Period. Nothing more needs to be said.”
Former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger, an outspoken Trump critic who was a former lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, said in response to the news on X, “Trump picking Pete Hegseth is the most hilariously predictably stupid thing.”
A senior military officer, who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity, said Hegseth’s selection is raising concerns about whether he has the practical experience to manage a large department with an enormous budget.
Current members of the military are unlikely to comment publicly on Hegseth’s appointment as you generally need authorization to speak to the media. But Hegseth’s appointment has received widespread criticism on the r/Military Reddit page, a subreddit widely used anonymously by current and former members of the military and which has 486,000 followers.
The top-rated comment under the news of Hegseth’s appointment asked, “What are his qualifications? Is being an infantry Major in the Army National Guard enough?”
Another said: “He has extremely minimal qualifications and only in one component of the force. He has no higher level experience usually gained by a longer career.”
“I wish him well for all our sakes but you do not expect a World Series Champion performance out of someone who has only just gotten out of little league,” they added.
One commentator posted: “This is beyond stupid. But honestly I can’t stop laughing. Like if this was a TV show, people would say f*** this is too made up.
“The greatest military machine in the history of mankind to be under the thumb of a TV show host…”
Another user wrote: “Is this a joke lmao [Laugh My A** Off]? I mean I knew it was going to be a sycophant but this is next level.”
However, Hegseth’s appointment was welcomed by other commentators on social media.
In a post on X, Hillel Neuer, executive director of United Nations Watch, wrote: “As the next U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth will finally return the focus of the U.S. Military to meritocracy, lethality, accountability and excellence.”
Political commentator Justin Hart wrote: “I’ve been on FoxNews with Pete Hegseth before. He is smart and super engaging. This is a shocking choice that nobody had on their bingo card for Defense!”
Tuesday also saw Trump announce his second administration will include a Department of Government Efficiency, which will be headed by businessmen Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
Hegseth graduated from Princeton University in 2003, after which he was commissioned into the Army National Guard as an infantry captain. He was deployed to Guantanamo Bay as part of the New Jersey National Guard, and in 2006 served in Iraq as a platoon commander and civil-military operations officer.
In 2012 Hegseth returned to active service as a captain and shortly afterwards was sent to Afghanistan with the Minnesota National Guard, working as a counterinsurgency instructor in the capital Kabul. During his overseas service Hegseth was awarded two Bronze Stars as well as a Combat Infantryman Badge.
In his 2024 book War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free Hegseth said he started having difficulties in the military due to his political views adding: “I don’t want this Army anymore.”
Update 11/13/24 9:15 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information.