But Hegseth, who not only has railed against Pentagon diversity and inclusion programs but has also called on Trump to fire his top military officers such as Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. C.Q. Brown, set off fears that the new secretary was ready to torch the agency.

President-elect Donald Trump stunned the Washington, D.C., national security establishment with his announcement that he would be nominating Pete Hegseth to serve as his secretary of defense. Hegseth’s selection quickly led to questions about his resume and qualifications to be the top civilian leader of the U.