Hegseth’s Combat Experience May Come in Handy After Surprise Pentagon Pick

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Ken Hammond, U.S. Air Force/DoD"> <span class="image-attribution__label">Image Credit</span> </button> <p class="sans-serif fz11 bold uppercase margin-bottom-1em">November 13, 2024</p> </div> <div class="article__header__title-group"> <h1 class="page-title">Hegseth’s Combat Experience May Come in Handy After Surprise Pentagon Pick</h1> </div> <div class="article__header__meta"> <p class="margin-top-1em article__header__meta__byline"> <span class="sans-serif fz14"> Featuring: </span> <a class="contributor" href="https://www.cnas.org/people/katherine-kuzminski">Katherine L. Kuzminski</a> </p> </div> <div class="article__header__sources"> <p> <span class="sans-serif fz14">Source:</span> <a class="source" href="https://highergroundtimes.com/higher-ground/2024/nov/13/pete-hegseths-combat-experience-may-come-handy-sur/">Higher Ground</a> </p> <p> <span class="sans-serif fz14">Journalists:</span> <span class="contributor">Mike Glenn</span>, <span class="contributor">Mallory Wilson</span> </p> </div> </div> </header> <div class="wrapper wysiwyg margin-vertical drop-cap"> <p>If confirmed by the Senate, Mr. Hegseth must construct a complex web of relationships within the Pentagon — to his immediate subordinates inside the Office of Secretary of Defense and the individual military services — and in Congress, which holds the purse strings for the military budget, said Katherine Kuzminski, director of the Military, Veterans and Society Program at the Center for a New American Security think tank.</p> <p>“He will need to rely on the relationship with both the House and the Senate on authorizations and also on appropriations,” Ms. Kuzminski said. “He’ll also need to navigate the relationship between the Pentagon and the defense industrial base, which is currently in a tough place.”</p> <p>Ms. Kuzminski said Senate Republicans may not be inclined to rubber-stamp the nomination for one of the most crucial Cabinet positions. Being an unconventional choice, Mr. Hegseth may find the confirmation process more bruising than he expected.<br /></p> <p>Read the full article and more on <a href="https://highergroundtimes.com/higher-ground/2024/nov/13/pete-hegseths-combat-experience-may-come-handy-sur/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Higher Ground</em></a>. </p> </div> <div class="authors-block margin-top single"> <div class="wrapper -custom"> <style type="text/css"> h2#authors-1.section-title:after{background:#fff !important;} @media (min-width: 600px) { h2#authors-1.section-title{margin-top: -50px;margin-bottom: 100px;} h2#authors-1.section-title:after{margin-top: -50px;margin-bottom: -50px;} } @media (max-width: 599px) { h2#authors-1.section-title{margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:30px;padding-left:15px;} } </style> <h2 class="section-title" id="authors-1" data-toc-skip style=margin-bottom:5%;> Author </h2> <ul class="author-list"> <li class="author-list__item"> <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" srcset="https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/files.cnas.org/thumbnails/_120xAUTO_crop_center-center_none/Kate-headshot.png 1x, https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/files.cnas.org/thumbnails/_240xAUTO_crop_center-center_none/Kate-headshot.png 2x" width="120" height="120" class="desaturate" alt=""> <h3 class="h4 margin-bottom-half-em"> <a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/katherine-kuzminski">Katherine L. Kuzminski</a> </h3> <p class="fz14 margin-bottom-1em">Deputy Director of Studies, Director, Military, Veterans, and Society Program</p> <p class="fz12 sans-serif"> Katherine L. Kuzminski (formerly Kidder) is the Deputy Director of Studies, and the Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society (MVS) Program at CNAS. Her research special... </p> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </article> </main> <footer class="footer"> <div class="footer__inner"> <dl class="footer__contact-info"> <dt class="screenreader-only">Address:</dt> <dd> <span class="sprite -pin "> <svg width="16" height="16" class="svgsprite"> <use xlink:href="/assets/images/icons.svg?v=2#pin"></use> </svg> </span> <span> Center for a New American Security<br> 1701 Pennsylvania Ave NW<br> Suite 700<br> Washington, DC 20006 </span> </dd> <dt class="screenreader-only">Phone:</dt> <dd> <span class="sprite -phone "> <svg width="16" height="16" class="svgsprite"> <use xlink:href="/assets/images/icons.svg?v=2#phone"></use> </svg> </span> <span>(202) 457-9400</span> </dd> <dt class="screenreader-only">Email:</dt> <dd> <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7f161119103f1c111e0c51100d18"> <span class="sprite -email "> <svg width="16" height="16" class="svgsprite"> <use xlink:href="/assets/images/icons.svg?v=2#email"></use> </svg> </span> <span><span 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