"Concern" was the comment of many high-ranking military commanders, both current and retired, in an interview with CNN about Donald Trump's nomination of former soldier Pete Hegseth, who is also a Fox News host, as the new Secretary of Defense.
CNN stressed that the interviewees were nonpartisan and had served under President Joe Biden and Donald Trump's first term.
In interviews, most expressed concern about Mr. Trump’s new personnel appointments, which appear to indicate his intention to build a team to make sweeping and lasting changes to U.S. foreign policy. But they offered no personal criticism of the Army veteran, Pete Hegseth.
A former four-star officer remains open-minded in the hope that new ideas can reform what has become stagnant despite his lack of experience managing the Pentagon and national security processes.
However, the officer expressed concern about absolute loyalty in appointments because blind loyalty can lead to danger. He said that this can lead to a situation where one individual controls the entire system, which he believes is less effective than diversity of opinion.
On November 12, many people were surprised when President-elect Donald Trump chose Mr. Pete Hegseth to hold the position of Secretary of Defense in the coming time.
According to CNN, Mr. Hegseth's selection was surprising because he was not on Mr. Trump's list of highly regarded people for this position.
Multiple sources said Mr Trump’s decision was based on his long-standing relationship with former Army veteran Pete Hegseth. The president-elect was impressed with Mr Hegseth’s career and intelligence.
The future US Secretary of Defense's full name is Peter Brian Hegseth, 44 years old. He is a former US Army soldier and has been a Fox News host for the past 8 years.
Mr. Hegseth has always been a staunch supporter of the “America First” policy - the agenda that Donald Trump has repeatedly declared he will implement if he is re-elected. He is also known as a loyalist of conservative values, especially on military and national security issues.
