Pete Hegseth
Pete HegsethMiri Tzachi

US President-elect Donald Trump announced on Tuesday evening that he has nominated Fox News anchor Pete Hegseth to serve as Secretary of Defense in his new Cabinet.

In a statement announcing the nomination, Trump wrote, “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. With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice - Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down.”

He also noted that Hegseth “will be a courageous and patriotic champion of our ‘Peace through Strength’ policy.”

Hegseth served as an infantry captain in the Army National Guard and did tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, earning two Bronze Stars. He is currently a co-host for “Fox & Friends Weekend.”

In 2018, Hegseth visited Israel on a special tour organized by Dr. Joseph Frager. During that visit, Hegseth was a guest of honor at an Arutz Sheva conference on US-Israel relations organized in cooperation with Young Israel.

Hegseth also toured Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem (Nablus), a visit which was organized by Yossi Dagan, the head of the Samaria Regional Council.

Hegseth previously visited Israel in 2016, together with other Fox News anchors.