In a surprise move this november‚ president-elect Donald Trump picked ex-Fox News host Pete Hegseth as his Defense Secretary choice: a decision that got mixed reactions from defense experts
Hegseth brings military background (having served in Iraq Afghanistan and Guantanamo) but no government leadership experience. His Princeton-Harvard education and two Bronze Stars show some credentials however his recent book about military culture makes some experts worry
The full national-security team includes Marco Rubio for State Department and Mike Waltz as national-security advisor. Here are other key appointments:
- Tulsi Gabbard - Intelligence Director
- Kristi Noem - Homeland Security
- John Ratcliffe - CIA Director
- Matt Gaetz - Attorney General
- Stephen Miller - Policy advisor
Sources say Trump talked with Putin last thursday about Ukraine (though Kremlin denies this). Israeli officials hint at possible Lebanon cease-fire plans by january - potentially timed for the new administration
The transition team denied reports about plans to remove high-ranking military officers‚ but Hegsethʼs past comments suggest changes might come. In a recent podcast he suggested firing generals involved in diversity programs
Thereʼs no plan to establish a board at this time
International events keep moving forward with upcoming meetings: Peru hosts APEC summit this weekend where Biden meets Xi‚ followed by G-20 in Rio next week. Meanwhile Haiti faces increased violence - forcing US flight cancellations‚ and Sudanʼs war shows worse numbers than expected