Hegseth, who is also a former soldier without political experience, will lead the world's most powerful military.

Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defense, was involved in a police investigation into an alleged sexual assault in 2017, local officials in California confirmed Thursday night.

This housecleaning will be a signal to the entire world and the American military and everybody else.” — Donald Trump, Aug. 21, 2024 There was genuine surprise at the late Nov. 12 announcement by President-elect Donald Trump that he was tapping Pete Hegseth,