▲ This file photo, released by the Associated Press, shows Pete Hegseth walking to an elevator for a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York on Dec. 15, 2016. (Yonhap)

Trump-Pentagon chief pick

Trump picks Fox News Channel host Pete Hegseth as Pentagon chief

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President-elect Donald Trump tapped Fox News Channel host Pete Hegseth to serve as his defense secretary on Tuesday, describing him as a "warrior for the troops and for the country."

Trump issued a statement on the designation of Hegseth, an Army veteran with tours in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan, as America's next defense secretary is tasked with handling a series of tough security challenges, including North Korea's military threats, Russia's war in Ukraine and instability in the Middle East.

The Pentagon chief post requires Senate confirmation.

"I am honored to announce that I have nominated Pete Hegseth to serve in my Cabinet as The Secretary of Defense. Pete has spent his entire life as a Warrior for the Troops, and for the Country," Trump said.

"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 added.

Noting that Hegseth has led two veterans advocacy organizations, Trump said that "nobody fights harder for the troops."

"Pete will be a courageous and patriotic champion of our 'Peace through Strength' policy," the president-elect said.

Hegseth is the author of the recent book, titled "The War on Warriors," which Trump said reveals "how we must return our Military to meritocracy, lethality, accountability, and excellence."

He has been a host at Fox News for eight years. He is a graduate of Princeton University and has a graduate degree from Harvard University.

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