Pete Hegseth could soon make the meteoric rise from a combat soldier in the Minnesota National Guard to the U.S. secretary of state in the next Trump Administration.

“This may be the most surprising nomination by President-elect Trump,” Larry Jacobs of the U of M Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS. Jacobs made that comment before President-elect Donald Trump nominated Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz to be attorney general, another pick that surprised many in Washington.

As for Hegseth, Jacobs says the Minnesota native “will not be clashing with Donald Trump. He will be carrying the president’s agenda.” During Trump’s first four-year term he had five defense secretaries as he faced pushback from many of them. Jacobs doesn’t think that will be a problem with Hegseth who says Trump likely picked as much for his communications skills as his military experience.

“I think the president is looking to Hegseth to sell the administration’s policy,” Jacobs says, “which will include some tough love in Europe where the administration will probably be pulling back from some of its large commitments.”

Hegseth was born in Minneapolis and grew up in Forest Lake. He later earned degrees from Princeton and Harvard. He enlisted in the Minnesota National Guard and served in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Iraq and Afghanistan earning several medals and commendations in combat zones. He ran for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in 2012 before dropping out after the state GOP convention that year after not winning the party endorsement. He later became a host and commentator on FOX News.

Hegseth recently stirred controversy by publicly opposing women serving in military combat roles when he appeared on a podcast last week. “I’m just straight up saying we should not have women in combat roles,” Hegseth said of something that has been allowed since 2016.  “It hasn’t made us more effective. It hasn’t made us more lethal.”

Republican state Representative Shane Hudella, R-Hastings, posted on social media his approval of the Hegseth nomination with the hashtag, “Minnesota Guy.” Hudella also served 24 years in the Minnesota National Guard, but not in the same units as Hegseth.

Hudella says having a younger Secretary of Defense with relatively recent combat experience will send a positive signal to the troops. “The folks that are on the battlefield, during a deployment are excited to see somebody that’s potentially younger and been in those experiences recently,” Hudella told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.

Hudella does differ with Hegseth on the role of women in combat. “I happen to support women in the combat roles. I think they’re very capable. Served with many great (female) soldiers.”

Minnesota Democratic Congresswoman Betty McCollum strongly opposes Hegseth for his views on women in the military and other issues. “I have great respect for anyone who has served our nation in the U.S. Armed Forces,” the ranking Democrat on the House Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations said in a statement issued Wednesday. “However, not everyone who has worn the uniform is qualified to lead the Department of Defense. While much is unknown about Mr. Hegseth, I share the bipartisan concern that he is ill-prepared to serve as Secretary of Defense. I have serious questions about his views on the role of women in the Armed Forces, who comprise nearly 20 percent of our uniformed personnel. His advocacy for the January 6th rioters and his questioning of the Uniform Code of Military Justice are very troubling.”

Hegseth shared views on a number of topics during appearances on “At Issue with Tom Hauser” in 2012 and 2016. In 2012 when running for the U.S. Senate, he criticized the Obama Administration handling of troop withdrawals from Afghanistan. “What is not a good idea is surging troops as we did and telling the enemy at the same time when you’re going to leave,” he said on the show. “I experienced that day after day after day in Afghanistan.”

In a 2016 appearance he was promoting his book about citizenship called “In the Arena.” He urged people to get involved in their community in any way they can — whether at church, in their city or in local schools. Hegseth also acknowledged Trump was not his first choice for president in 2016, but he would vote for him. “Donald Trump at the very least believes in America,” he said. “He believes either we have a country or we don’t. I will pull the lever for Donald Trump.”

Now that Trump has nominated him to be Secretary of State, the U.S. Senate will next hold confirmation hearings.