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

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.

“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.”

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.

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