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Trump Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth believes NATO should be 'scrapped' and remade Pete Hegseth faces intense scrutiny as Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon Sign up for the latest with DailyMail.com's U.S. politics newsletter By SARAH EWALL-WICE, SENIOR U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM IN WASHINGTON, DC Published: 18:50 GMT, 25 November 2024 | Updated: 19:14 GMT, 25 November 2024 e-mail 7 View comments Former Fox News personality turned President-elect Donald Trump 's pick to lead the Pentagon Pete Hegseth is facing intense scrutiny for his past words and actions including writing that NATO should be scrapped. Hegseth is gearing up for what could be a brutal Senate confirmation fight after he was named Trump's nominee for defense secretary where he could face tough questions on his world views. In his 2020 book American Crusade, Hegseth leveled a series of criticisms against the NATO alliance, calling for it to be remade. 'NATO is a relic and should be scrapped and remade in order for freedom to be truly defended,' Hegseth wrote. He also argued the 'defense of Europe is not our problem; been there, done that, twice.' NATO was established in the aftermath of World War II and currently has thirty-two member countries including the U.S. and Canada. Hegseth also lobbed similar accusations to those Trump has made about NATO for years. 'NATO is not an alliance; it’s a defense arrangement for Europe, paid for and underwritten by the United States,' he wrote. Pete Hegseth is under intense scrutiny as Trump's nominee for defense secretary. The former Fox News personality wrote in his book that NATO should be 'scrapped' and 'remade.' He also suggested one of his books that the U.S. should ignore the Geneva Conventions' rules of warfare The president-elect has long accused member nations of taking advantage of the U.S., falsely accused members of not paying their bills, and repeatedly threatened to pull the country out of the alliance. Trump met with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Friday in Florida where they discussed a range of security issues, according to a NATO spokesperson. The president-elect's defense secretary nominee not only claimed NATO is a relic but also claimed Europe had ' already allowed itself to be invaded.' 'It chose not to rebuild its militaries, happily suckling off the teat of America’s willingness to actually fight and win wars,' he claimed. Separately, the defense secretary nominee took issue in his book not just with the alliance but with its members, specifically Turkey. 'Why is Islamist Turkey a member of NATO?' he wrote. Hegseth argued Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is an ' Islamist with Islamist visions for the Middle East.' NATO was not the only post-WWII agreements Hegseth has taken aim at. He has also dismissed the Geneva Conventions and its protocols. Trump with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Palm Beach, FL on November 22 Pete Hegseth following meetings on Capitol Hill on November 21. He is under a microscope for his writings, claiming women should not serve in combat and allegations of sexual assault which he denies The Geneva Conventions are treaties that include rules aimed at limiting the brutality of war. In his 2024 book The War on Warriors, Hegseth questioned what the U.S. should do if enemies do not honor the Geneva Conventions. ' What if we treated the enemy the way they treated us?' Hegseth wrote. 'Would that not be an incentive for the other side to reconsider their barbarism? Hey, Al Qaeda: if you surrender, we might spare your life. If you do not, we will rip your arms off and feed them to hogs,' he went on. Hegseth argued the U.S. is ' just fighting with one hand behind our back – and the enemy knows it.' He argued 'w ho cares what other countries think?' Hegseth's argument for ignoring the Geneva Conventions comes as he has also long defended service members accused of war crimes during his time on television, arguing they were just doing their job. While Hegseth has been tapped to lead the Pentagon with its three million service members and civilians, critics point out that he has no senior military leadership or national security experience. Pete Hegseth shared this image of himself on social media from his time serving in Iraq He served in the Minnesota National Guard and then the Army National Guard where he was an infantryman in Iraq and counterinsurgency instructor in Afghanistan. He was also part of a security platoon at Guantanamo Bay. On Sunday, Senator Tammy Duckworth, a combat veteran, called him a 'a pretty low ranking guy' in the military who never even had a position commanding a company. While Hegseth's writings and comments about the military and policy are under the microscope, he is also facing criticism for arguing women should not serve in combat. Earlier this month he repeated ' we should not have women in combat roles.' He claimed it has not made the U.S. military 'more lethal.' Meanwhile the 44-year-old nominee is also hampered by an allegation of sexual assault. Hegseth was accused by a woman of an assault at a California hotel in 2017. He denied the allegations. Hegseth was not charged as prosecutors said there was not proof beyond a reasonable doubt, but Hegseth did pay the woman off to keep her quiet. Politics Share or comment on this article: Trump Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth believes NATO should be 'scrapped' and remade e-mail Add comment
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LAS VEGAS — Formula 1 on Monday at last said it will expand its grid in 2026 to make room for an American team that is partnered with General Motors. "As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence. It's an honor for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world's premier racing series, and we're committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world," GM President Mark Reuss said. "This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM's engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level." The approval ends years of wrangling that launched a U.S. Justice Department investigation into why Colorado-based Liberty Media, the commercial rights holder of F1, would not approve the team initially started by Michael Andretti. Andretti in September stepped aside from leading his namesake organization, so the 11th team will be called Cadillac F1 and be run by new Andretti Global majority owners Dan Towriss and Mark Walter. The team will use Ferrari engines its first two years until GM has a Cadillac engine built for competition in time for the 2028 season. Towriss is the the CEO and president of Group 1001 and entered motorsports via Andretti's IndyCar team when he signed on financial savings platform Gainbridge as a sponsor. Towriss is now a major part of the motorsports scene with ownership stakes in both Spire Motorsports' NASCAR team and Wayne Taylor Racing's sports car team. Walter is the chief executive of financial services firm Guggenheim Partners and the controlling owner of both the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Premier League club Chelsea. "We're excited to partner with General Motors in bringing a dynamic presence to Formula 1," Towriss said. "Together, we're assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world." Mario Andretti, the 1978 F1 world champion, will have an ambassador role with Cadillac F1. But his son, Michael, will have no official position with the organization now that he has scaled back his involvement with Andretti Global. "The Cadillac F1 Team is made up of a strong group of people that have worked tirelessly to build an American works team," Michael Andretti posted on social media. "I'm very proud of the hard work they have put in and congratulate all involved on this momentous next step. I will be cheering for you!" The approval has been in works for weeks but was held until after last weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix to not overshadow the showcase event of the Liberty Media portfolio. Max Verstappen won his fourth consecutive championship in Saturday night's race, the third and final stop in the United States for the top motorsports series in the world. Grid expansion in F1 is both infrequent and often unsuccessful. Four teams were granted entries in 2010 that should have pushed the grid to 13 teams and 26 cars for the first time since 1995. One team never made it to the grid and the other three had vanished by 2017. There is only one American team on the current F1 grid — owned by California businessman Gene Haas — but it is not particularly competitive and does not field American drivers. Andretti's dream was to field a truly American team with American drivers. The fight to add this team has been going on for three-plus years, and F1 initially denied the application despite approval from F1 sanctioning body FIA. The existing 10 teams, who have no voice in the matter, also largely opposed expansion because of the dilution in prize money and the billions of dollars they've already invested in the series. Andretti in 2020 tried and failed to buy the existing Sauber team. From there, he applied for grid expansion and partnered with GM, the top-selling manufacturer in the United States. The inclusion of GM was championed by the FIA and president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who said Michael Andretti's application was the only one of seven applicants to meet all required criteria to expand F1's current grid. "General Motors is a huge global brand and powerhouse in the OEM world and is working with impressive partners," Ben Sulayem said Monday. "I am fully supportive of the efforts made by the FIA, Formula 1, GM and the team to maintain dialogue and work towards this outcome of an agreement in principle to progress this application." Despite the FIA's acceptance of Andretti and General Motors from the start, F1 wasn't interested in Andretti — but did want GM. At one point, F1 asked GM to find another team to partner with besides Andretti. GM refused and F1 said it would revisit the Andretti application if and when Cadillac had an engine ready to compete. "Formula 1 has maintained a dialogue with General Motors, and its partners at TWG Global, regarding the viability of an entry following the commercial assessment and decision made by Formula 1 in January 2024," F1 said in a statement. "Over the course of this year, they have achieved operational milestones and made clear their commitment to brand the 11th team GM/Cadillac, and that GM will enter as an engine supplier at a later time. Formula 1 is therefore pleased to move forward with this application process." Yet another major shift in the debate over grid expansion occurred earlier this month with the announced resignation of Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei, who was largely believed to be one of the biggest opponents of the Andretti entry. "With Formula 1's continued growth plans in the US, we have always believed that welcoming an impressive US brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport," Maffei said. "We credit the leadership of General Motors and their partners with significant progress in their readiness to enter Formula 1." Get local news delivered to your inbox!Online child exploitation spiked during lockdowns. Police worry it’s here to stay