An endorsement from Senator Roger Wicker (R-MI), likely to be the next chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has cleared a major obstacle for Fox News host Pete Hegseth to be confirmed as President-elect Donald Trump's Defense Secretary. 

• Wicker said, per CNN: “No, I don't have concerns. I'm delighted at the prospect of working with [Hegseth].”
• Wicker is one of the most hawkish members of the Republican defence establishment. He has called on the next administration to boost defence spending by USD$55 billion in the short-term, with a medium-term goal of hitting 5% of GDP - a Pentagon budget not seen since the height of the Cold War.
• Politico notes that Wicker's plan involves, “a short-term generational investment” to deter an increasingly cooperative Russia, China, North Korea and Iran, which he has termed an “Axis of Aggressors.”
• Hegseth's nomination came as a shock to much of the defence establishment, including many Republicans who expected a more experienced pick in line with Trump's relatively restrained executive branch nominations.
• Much of the media coverage of Hegseth's nomination has focused on his commitment to carry out a root and branch overhaul of diversity policies in the Department of Defense. More broadly, Hegseth's appointment may be a nod towards loyalty after the combative relationship Trump had with military leaders during his first term.