Trump Picks Pete Hegseth, a Veteran and Fox News Host, for Defense Secretary

President-elect Donald J. Trump on Tuesday chose Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host and veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to be his next defense secretary, elevating a television ally to run the Pentagon and lead 1.3 million active-duty troops.

The choice of Mr. Hegseth was outside the norm of the traditional defense secretary. But he was a dedicated supporter of Mr. Trump during his first term, defending his interactions with the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, embracing his “America First” agenda of trying to withdraw U.S. troops from abroad and energetically taking up the cause of combat veterans accused of war crimes.

In a statement announcing his pick, Mr. Trump praised Mr. Hegseth’s combat experience and support of the military and veterans. “Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First,” Mr. Trump said. “With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice — our military will be great again, and America will never back down.”

Mr. Hegseth is a co-host of “Fox & Friends.” He joined the network as a contributor in 2014 and has been the host of Fox’s New Year’s coverage for years.

He served in the Army in Afghanistan and Iraq and at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

A Minnesota native, Mr. Hegseth graduated from Princeton University, where he was the publisher of The Princeton Tory, a conservative magazine, for which he wrote about seeing the statue of Saddam Hussein toppled in Baghdad in 2003.

“Conservative ideas have worked, do work and will continue to work,” Mr. Hegseth wrote. “The list is long: A strong military is absolutely essential to bringing long-term peace and stability to the world.”