During a recent podcast, Pete Hegseth argued that top senior leaders involved with diversity, equity and inclusion efforts need to be fired.

When Elisa Smithers was deployed to Iraq in 2005, there was a ban on women serving in ground combat operations. She now fears the progress made for women in combat since then will be reversed after President-elect Donald Trump announced Pete Hegseth this week as his pick for secretary of defense – a Fox News host and Army veteran who has criticized efforts to allow women into combat roles.

President-elect Donald Trump stunned the Pentagon and the broader defense world by nominating Fox News host Pete Hegseth to serve as his defense secretary, tapping someone largely inexperienced and untested on the global stage to take over the world’s largest and most powerful military.

Pete Hegseth advocated for Trump to intervene on behalf of service members in three cases involving war crime accusations in 2019.

If you’ve never heard of Hegseth, here’s a quick primer: he’s a military veteran, bestselling author, and co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekend” on the FOX News Channel. He also has the phrase “We the People,

Hegseth has worked at Fox News for eight years. He is an Army combat veteran who served in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

President-elect Donald Trump has selected Fox News host Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense. Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday night. He listed Hegseth's experience as a veteran and his media experience as his reasons for the choice.

Former Fox News host Pete Hegseth has been selected by President-elect Trump to serve as his secretary of defense. Hegseth served in the U.S. Army.