Washington, Jan 14 (IANS): Pete Hegseth, the nominee for Secretary of Defence, on Tuesday, told Senators at his confirmation hearing that it will be a priority for him to "work with our partners and allies to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific from the Communist Chinese".
Hegseth is the first of President-elect Donald Trump's nominees to go before a panel of the US Senate for confirmation, who include, among others Marco Rubio, nominee for Secretary of State; Pam Bondi, nominee for Attorney General; Tulsi Gabbard, nominee for Director of National Intelligence; and Kash Patel, nominee to head the Federal Bureau of Investigation. They will have their confirmation hearings over the next few days.
"First and foremost, we will defend our homeland, our borders and our skies," Hegseth said in his prepared opening remarks.
"Second, we will work with our partners and allies to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific from the Communist Chinese. And finally, we will responsibly end wars to ensure that we prioritise our resources to reorient to larger threats."
During questioning by Senators, Hegseth said the threat from China will be front and centre for him.
"When President Trump chose me for this position, the primary charge he gave me was -- to bring the warrior culture back to the Department of Defence," Hegseth said.
"He, like me, wants a Pentagon laser-focused on warfighting, lethality, meritocracy, standards, and readiness. That's it. That is my job."
He was introduced at the hearing by Mike Waltz, who is President-elect Trump's National Security Adviser, who is a known anti-China hawk and a co-chair of the India Caucus of the House of Representatives.
Hegseth is expected to face tough questioning from both Republicans and Democrats.
If confirmed, he will take over from Lloyd Austin, the current Secretary of Defence, a sprawling organisation made of nearly 3.5 million defence and civilian personnel.
Hegseth is a graduate of Princeton University and has a Graduate degree from Harvard University.
He served as an army combat veteran who served in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
He was decorated with two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman's Badge.
He went on to become a host at FOX News for eight years.