Former Fox News personality turned President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Pentagon Pete Hegseth is facing intense criticism for his past words and actions, including his writing that NATO should be scrapped.
Hegseth is gearing up for what could be a brutal Senate confirmation battle after being named Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, where he could face tough questions about his world views.
In his 2020 book American Crusade, Hegseth made a series of criticisms of the NATO alliance, calling for its overhaul.
“NATO is a relic and must be torn down and remade so that freedom can truly be defended,” Hegseth wrote.
He also argued that the ‘defense of Europe is not our problem; been there, done that, twice.”
NATO was founded in the aftermath of World War II and currently has thirty-two member states, including the US and Canada.
Hegseth also made similar accusations as Trump has made about NATO for years.
‘NATO is not an alliance; it is a defense system for Europe, paid for and underwritten by the United States,” he wrote.
Pete Hegseth is under intense scrutiny as Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense. The former Fox News personality wrote in his book that NATO should be “scraped” and “remade.” He also suggested in one of his books that the US should ignore the rules of war in the Geneva Conventions
The president-elect has long accused member states of taking advantage of the U.S., falsely accused members of failing to pay their bills, and repeatedly threatened to pull the country from the alliance.
Trump met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Florida on Friday, where they discussed a range of security issues, a NATO spokesman said.
The president-elect’s nominee for Secretary of Defense not only claimed that NATO is a relic, but also claimed that Europeal let himself be invaded.’
“The country has chosen not to rebuild its militaries, happily soaking up America’s willingness to actually fight and win wars,” he claimed.
In addition, the candidate secretary of defense discussed in his book not only with the alliance, but also with its members, in particular Turkey.
‘Why is Islamist Turkey a member of NATO?’ he wrote.
Hegseth argued that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is a ‘Islamist with Islamic views on the Middle East.’
NATO was not the only post-World War II agreement Hegseth focused on. He also rejected the Geneva Conventions and their protocols.
Trump with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Palm Beach, Florida on November 22
Pete Hegseth after rallies on Capitol Hill on November 21. He has come under scrutiny for his writings claiming that women should not serve in combat and allegations of sexual assault, which he denies
The Geneva Conventions are treaties that contain rules aimed at limiting the cruelty of war.
In his 2024 book The War on Warriors, Hegseth wondered what the US should do when enemies do not respect the Geneva Conventions.
‘What if we treated the enemy the way he treated us?” Hegseth wrote.
‘Wouldn’t that be an incentive for the other side to reconsider their barbarity? Hey, Al Qaeda: if you surrender, we might spare your life. If you don’t, we’ll rip your arms off and feed them to the pigs,” he continued.
Hegseth argued that the U.S.’just fight with one hand behind our back – and the enemy knows it.”
He argued ‘wWho cares what other countries think?’
Hegseth’s argument for ignoring the Geneva Conventions comes because during his time on television he has also defended soldiers accused of war crimes, arguing that they were just doing their job.
Although Hegseth has been tapped to lead the Pentagon and its three million military and civilian personnel, critics point out that he lacks senior military leadership or national security experience.
Pete Hegseth shared this image of himself on social media from his time in Iraq
He served in the Minnesota National Guard and then the Army National Guard, where he was an infantryman in Iraq and a counterinsurgency instructor in Afghanistan. He was also part of a security platoon at Guantanamo Bay.
On Sunday, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a combat veteran, called him “a pretty low-ranking guy” in the military who never even held a position as a company commander.
While Hegseth’s writings and comments about the military and policies have come under scrutiny, he has also been criticized for claiming that women should not serve in combat.
Earlier this month he reiterated ‘we should not have women in combat roles.” He claimed that it has not made the US military more “deadly.”
Meanwhile, the 44-year-old nominee is also dogged by a sexual assault allegation.
Hegseth was accused by a woman of attacking a California hotel in 2017. He denied the allegations.
Hegseth was not charged because prosecutors said there was no evidence beyond a reasonable doubt, but Hegseth did pay the woman to keep her quiet.