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Washington Examiner

Washington Examiner

Meet Pete Hegseth, the veteran culture warrior picked to lead the US military

Washington Examiner
Summary
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79% Informative

Pete Hegseth has served in the U.S. Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps since 2001 while attending Princeton University .

He was awarded the Army Commendation Medal twice, a Bronze Star Medal , and several other awards, during his service in Iraq and Afghanistan .

In 2010 , he testified in Justice Elena Kagan ’s confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee over her treatment of military recruiters while she was the dean at Harvard years earlier .

Shortly after returning home, he entered the Republican primary for the Minnesota senate race but withdrew before the primary.

He has been married three times and has three children with his second wife.

Hegseth has drawn significant attention for two religious tattoos.

The National Guard pulled him from duty ahead of President Joe Biden's inauguration in early 2021 .

Unlike many of his predecessors, he does not have experience leading a large bureaucracy.

The department has a budget of about $850 billion , which is likely to continue increasing in the coming years .