(NewsNation) — The world feels less safe these days.
Just this month, American forces conducted precision strikes against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, targeting underground weapons facilities that had been used to attack U.S. Navy warships.
Other major conflicts remain unresolved as wars in Ukraine and the Middle East rage on. Tensions have also been rising in the South China Sea.
All of that could soon fall on the shoulders of Pete Hegseth. The 44-year-old combat veteran and former TV cable news host is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon.
Key takeaways from Pete Hegseth’s fiery confirmation hearing
During his Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday, Hegseth vowed to restore a “warrior ethos” and pushed back against modern diversity and inclusion policies known as “DEI.”
“The DEI policies of today are not the same as what happened back then,” Hegseth said. “They’re dividing troops inside formations, causing commanders to walk on eggshells, not putting meritocracy first.”
The U.S. Army has struggled to hit recruitment goals in recent years, and Military.com found that there’s been an especially sharp decline among white recruits in the last half-decade.
What Trump said he will do on Day 1
Hegseth and many Trump allies attribute the recruiting challenges to low morale and believe ending DEI is key to turning it around.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s government efficiency push, the so-called DOGE panel, could also have the Pentagon in its sights.
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed outlining their plans, Musk and Ramaswamy pointed out that the Pentagon recently failed its seventh consecutive audit, a sign “the agency’s leadership has little idea how its annual budget of more than $800 billion is spent,” they wrote.
The U.S. spent $820 billion on national defense during fiscal year 2023, which amounted to 13% of federal spending, according to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation.
If confirmed, Hegseth will have to juggle the range of global crises and ongoing funding challenges.
Hegseth has faced opposition from Senate Democrats who have focused on past allegations of sexual misconduct and his divisive comments about women serving in combat roles.
Many Republicans have been vocally supportive of Hegseth’s nomination, and he could be confirmed with only GOP support, but he can’t afford to lose more than three Republican votes in the Senate.
Read more about Hegseth’s fiery confirmation hearing here.
