The true warrior, Pit Hegset: What the world and Ukraine can expect from Trump's new Pentagon chief.

Pete Hegseth — Biography of the New U.S. Secretary of Defense

Pete Hegseth (Pete Hegseth) is a 44-year-old graduate of Princeton and Harvard universities, a member of the Ivy League, who has been appearing on Fox News since 2014. He is married with seven children and resides in Tennessee. Pete Hegseth is an officer in the U.S. National Guard and previously commanded a platoon that guarded the prison at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. The future head of the Pentagon has also participated in real combat operations, having fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he received the "Bronze Star" for his service in Iraq. Recently, Hegseth has become a television star and was actively involved in Donald Trump's election campaign, as evidenced by numerous photos and videos on Instagram.

In the summer of 2024, Pete released a book titled Modern Warriors, which is dedicated to military personnel, American politicians, and the actions of President Joe Biden. Reflecting on his life, the American recalled a tattoo that led to accusations of racism, which prevented him from becoming a security guard. Meanwhile, the host stated that the issue with the modern American army lies in excessive "diversity."

"I was in the National Guard during Joe Biden's inauguration, so I served under Bush, served under Obama, served under Trump, and was now set to guard the inauguration. The leadership considered me an extremist or a white nationalist because of a tattoo that is a religious symbol. It is a Jerusalem cross, but it was used as a basis to cancel my orders to guard the inauguration," he stated.

A fragment of the tattoo that raised questions with government authorities can be viewed in a photo of Pete Hegseth holding a rifle.

While Hegseth has no political experience, he has been active in public service, particularly through conservative organizations such as Vets For Freedom (which advocated for the interests of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan) and Concerned Veterans for America (which also focused on veterans' issues). During Trump's previous presidency, his name was considered for the position of Secretary of Veterans Affairs, but the role was ultimately given to someone else.

Donald Trump explained on the social network Truth Social why he chose Pete for the position of Secretary of Defense. According to the future American president, the candidate is a true warrior for whom America comes first.

"It is an honor for me to announce that I have nominated Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense in my administration. Pete has spent his entire life as a warrior, fighting for the army and the country. Pete is tough, smart, and genuinely believes in 'America First.' With Pete at the helm, America's enemies should be on alert — our military will be great again, and America will never retreat," Trump explained his decision.

Hegseth's Stance on Ukraine and the War with Russia

In 2022, Hegseth reacted to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as reported by Reuters: he expressed his anger and mentioned the head of the Kremlin.

"[This is] Putin's war, give me my shit," he said.

The future head of the Pentagon criticized European countries, describing them as "outdated, under-armed, threatened by invasion, and powerless," while praising China for having "a complete long-term vision." However, Hegseth does not wish for the U.S. to become more deeply involved in the war with Russia, as highlighted by journalists in their reports.

"If Ukraine can defend itself… great, but I don’t want American involvement to go deep into Europe and make (Putin) feel cornered," Hegseth emphasized.

On the personal website of the future head of the Pentagon, as well as on official pages on Facebook, X, and Instagram, there were no mentions of Ukraine, the war with Russia, or Putin. However, there were numerous posts about "awakening the military," which he is interested in regarding changes in the army.

John Ratcliffe — What We Know About the New CIA Chief

John Ratcliffe (John Ratcliffe) is a 59-year-old American politician, a member of the Republican Party, who represented Texas in the House of Representatives from 2015 to 2020. In 2020, then-President Donald Trump appointed him as the head of the CIA. Ratcliffe held the position for less than a year — from May 2020 to January 2021 — and resigned due to concerns from his fellow party members who believed there was a threat of politicizing intelligence.

During his tenure, Ratcliffe claimed that in 2016, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton allegedly spread information about Trump's support from Russia and that she personally ordered Russian hackers to attack the Democratic Party's servers. While in Congress, he repeatedly reiterated these accusations, which a special Senate committee later proved to be baseless, wrote The New York Times. Additionally, Ratcliffe supported the investigation into Hunter Biden, the son of current President Joe Biden. The Republican intelligence officer believed that through Hunter, who was involved with the Ukrainian company Burisma Holdings, the current president's administration was engaged in some illegal activities. When Congress attempted to impeach Trump in 2019, Ratcliffe defended the Republican leader against the accusations.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump has not changed his opinion of Ratcliffe and announced on November 12 that he would reappoint him as head of the CIA. On his Truth Social page, Trump wrote that the candidate is a "fighter for truth and integrity before the American public" and listed other "achievements" of his, mentioning both Hillary Clinton and Hunter Biden. In order for the nomination to be confirmed, it must be supported by the Senate after the inauguration, as noted by the NYT.

The new CIA chief is skeptical about assistance to Ukraine, as reported in Fox News. Furthermore, he criticized Joe Biden's foreign policy, primarily concerning Afghanistan and the nuclear deal with Iran.

"There is a difference between helping Ukraine and helping Ukraine win," Ratcliffe stated in 2022.

No more recent comments on the topic of the Russian-Ukrainian war have been found.

Pete Hegseth and John Ratcliffe — What Trump's New Appointments Will Bring to the World

Mark Cancian, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, explained to the Associated Press why Trump decided to appoint a person with junior officer training as Secretary of Defense, despite lacking experience in politics or holding high positions. In his opinion, the future president is "tired" of battling more experienced officials and plans to have an official who will follow all his orders. Analysts from the publication noted that this individual will inherit global issues — Russia's war in Ukraine, the war of Iranian proxies against Israel, and the standoff between North and South Korea.

"I think Trump is tired of fighting with his Secretaries of Defense and chose someone who will be loyal to him," journalists quoted Cancian.

According to the analyst, this nomination will be difficult to confirm in the Senate — the candidate raises concerns among senators due to a lack of experience, said the AP source.

Meanwhile, Reuters speculated that Hegseth, if confirmed, may conflict with several top U.S. Army generals. This includes a potential clash with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General C.Q. Brown. Pete suggested that the general holds a "radical left position" and suspected that he was promoted due to his skin color. The prospective head of the Pentagon is skeptical about NATO, sharing similar views with Donald Trump, who has previously discussed disbanding the Alliance. Additionally, Trump announced that he would fire disloyal generals; both he and Hegseth have criticized Mark Milley, who previously led the Joint Chiefs and had contacts with Ukraine, as stated in the article.

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren stated on social media X that Hegseth's appointment as Secretary of Defense "will make us less safe and should be rejected."

"To everyone who is afraid of what comes next, I share your fears. A co-host of entertainment shows has no right to be Secretary of Defense. I lead the military personnel committee in the Senate. All three of my brothers served in uniform. I respect each of our servicemen," the politician added.

"One of his tasks as Secretary of Defense could be to fulfill Trump's campaign promises to remove American generals whom he accuses of implementing progressive policies in the military," analysts at the BBC explained the potential consequences of the new appointment.

As for Ratcliffe, as head of the CIA, he will report to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, whose head is also appointed by the U.S. president with Senate approval. Ratcliffe will have the authority to manage the overseas spy network and conduct covert operations, journalists noted. It has been