What are the qualifications for the position of US Secretary of Defense?

President-elect Donald Trump's selection of Fox News host Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense has come as a surprise to the US diplomatic , security and defense communities.

In 2017, Mr. Pete Hegseth interviewed US President Donald Trump at the White House (Photo: Reuters).

On November 12, US President-elect Donald Trump announced the nomination of Pete Hegseth, 44, a former US soldier and current Fox News host, as Secretary of Defense - one of the most important positions in the administration. However, Mr. Trump's decision to choose Mr. Hegseth has really surprised American politicians, along with concerns that the Pentagon could be divided internally. Mr. Hegseth is considered by the US defense community as a "relative outsider", with no experience in the Pentagon or government outside of his military service. The American public mainly knows Mr. Hegseth as a Fox News host, and is also an ardent supporter of Mr. Trump and often has strong comments on military reform, calling for limiting women's participation in combat forces... The books that Hegseth wrote, including "The War on Warriors", received many compliments from Mr. Trump. The selection of Mr. Hegseth for the position of US Secretary of Defense is considered to be truly different from Mr. Trump's previous personnel choices related to national security issues. So far, Mr. Trump has chosen Congressman Mike Waltz as National Security Advisor, Senator Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, and both of these people have traditional views on US power, diplomatic and military influence globally. Reaction of the US defense community National security officials and defense analysts have been preparing for surprises from Mr. Trump after the first 4 years in office, but still expected him to choose an experienced legislator or a figure with experience in defense policy to head the Pentagon. Therefore, Mr. Trump's decision to choose Pete Hegseth - a nearly "outsider" figure for the position of US Secretary of Defense - was really surprising. Politico quoted a number of US defense officials as saying that they did not know who Hegseth was until Trump "mentioned" him, and even had to immediately Google him. Some foreign diplomats in Washington even ordered Hegseth's book "The War on Warriors" to find out why Trump chose him. Some Republican congressmen were surprised by Trump's choice. Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski was surprised because Hegseth was not on the list of potential candidates for the position of Secretary of Defense. Meanwhile, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy asked, "Who is he?" when he heard that Hegseth was nominated. Some other congressmen said that Hegseth was the least qualified candidate for the position of Secretary of Defense ever. Moreover, Hegseth also faced accusations of "sexual assault" on women in 2017, which he denied and affirmed was "consensual". Most analysts believe that Mr. Trump's choice shows that he values ​​loyalty and Hegseth is clearly one of his most ardent supporters. Mr. Trump is not only looking for a manager but also looking for someone whose vision is in sync with his strategic goals, especially in the context of the Pentagon's need to reform to flexibly adapt to new global security changes. Standards for the position of Secretary of Defense

Mr. Hegseth spoke to the press after being nominated as Minister of Defense (Photo: Reuters).

So what are the qualifications for the head of one of the largest, most complex, and most important agencies in the US government? According to Section 113, Article 10, US Code, the Secretary of Defense is: (1) the head of the Department of Defense , appointed by the US President from a civilian but subject to the approval of the US Senate; (2) a person who cannot be appointed as Secretary of Defense within (a) 7 years after leaving active service as a regular officer of the armed forces at a level below O-7 or (b) within 10 years after leaving active service as a regular officer of a regular part of the armed forces at a level of O-7 or higher. Therefore, the position of US Secretary of Defense is always a civilian, not a US military person. The US Secretary of Defense is the sixth in line of succession to the US President. By law, the US Secretary of Defense exercises power, direction and control over the three service secretaries (Secretary of the Army, Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of the Air Force), the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the operational commanders of the Unified Combatant Commands, the Directors of military agencies (such as the Director of the National Security Agency)... All of these senior positions must be approved by the US Senate after being nominated by the US President. The US Secretary of Defense, along with the Secretary of State, the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury, are considered the four most important cabinet officials in the US government. Therefore, the US Secretary of Defense needs to have a deep knowledge base and rich experience to lead and maintain the continuity of national defense policies as well as be able to run a special agency with dozens of "big" generals with a lot of battle experience. However, according to the assessment of the US military and experts, Mr. Hegseth's management experience only stops at the level of commanding a small unit in the National Guard with the highest rank of major. Mr. Hegseth has been on three overseas missions, including to Guantanamo Bay in 2004-2005, Iraq in 2005-2006 and Afghanistan in 2011-2012. In the past 10 years, Mr. Hegseth has only worked as a host. In his opinion, Mr. Trump believes that National Guard reserve major Pete Hegseth will be able to help "make the US military great again", run the giant defense apparatus with 1.3 million active soldiers, nearly 1 million civilians, a budget of more than 800 billion USD, and simultaneously handle two conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. In the coming time, the US Senate will consider whether to approve Mr. Pete Hegseth to take up the position of Secretary of Defense as nominated by President-elect Donald Trump or not. Not a small challenge If approved by the US Senate, Mr. Pete Hegseth will become the US Secretary of Defense. The upcoming task of the US Secretary of Defense is said to be very difficult because he will have to stretch himself to lead a defense agency that is overloaded by a series of challenges from the current conflicts in the Middle East, the war in Ukraine to the increasing tension on the Korean Peninsula, the rise of China... Meanwhile, the pressure to increase the military presence in the Indo- Pacific region to compete strategically with China is also not small. Although he served in the military, Mr. Hegseth does not have much experience at a high level in military and national security issues. Congressman Adam Smith said that although Mr. Hegseth's combat experience is a plus, running the Pentagon requires many other skills. Moreover, Congressman Smith is also concerned that Mr. Hegseth does not have extensive relationships with US allies in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The nomination of Mr. Hegseth - a loyal figure to Mr. Trump - will help the president easily implement defense policies as well as necessary reforms, but it has the potential to cause division within the Pentagon itself. The US Department of Defense has gone through a turbulent period in Mr. Trump's first term. Many people are concerned that Mr. Trump may "politicize" the US Department of Defense in an effort to reform and fundamentally change US military priorities because of concerns that the current focus of the US military on diversity and comprehensiveness is weakening the US defense capability. Mr. Hegseth's stance will also greatly influence the upcoming decisions of the US Department of Defense. Mr. Hegseth is a staunch supporter of Israel and an evangelical Christian who views the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a biblical lens. He also has a hardline stance on Iran, having called Tehran an “evil regime” in 2020. Moreover, Mr. Hegseth has been a vocal critic of America’s European allies, and his appointment could add to concerns among NATO members. Hegseth also has a tough stance on China and has said on podcasts and on television that "China is building a military that is 'dedicated to defeating the United States.'" Regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, Hegseth said it seemed like a "bullshit war" by Russian President Vladimir Putin. To become US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth needs to be approved by the US Senate. Mark Cancian, senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said that Hegseth's lack of high-level experience in national security will make Senate confirmation difficult. However, many US defense officials believe that Hegseth will pass this "barrier". Although President-elect Donald Trump's decision to choose Pete Hegseth for the position of US Secretary of Defense has really surprised the US political world and caused skepticism, it has shown Mr. Trump's innovative leadership style to carry out a complete reform. the role he wanted to play at the Pentagon. Mr. Trump created an opportunity for someone who was willing to act in the national interest, not afraid to challenge traditional principles, with the hope that Mr. Hegseth would bring positive change and protect American interests in a turbulent international context. Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/tieu-chuan-nao-cho-vi-tri-bo-truong-quoc-phong-my-20241122083237955.htm