US President-elect Donald Trump says he has nominated Pete Hegseth, a host on the conservative media outlet Fox News, as defense secretary for his next administration.

Trump announced this on Tuesday.

Hegseth has been a host at Fox News for the past eight years.

He is a graduate of Princeton University and has a graduate degree from Harvard University. He also served in the US Army National Guard and was deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Trump said in his announcement, "Nobody fights harder for the Troops, and Pete will be a courageous and patriotic champion of our 'Peace through Strength' policy."

The New York Times said in its article that "the choice was outside the norm of the traditional defense secretary."

US media reported that Hegseth has embraced Trump's "America First" agenda and supported withdrawal of US troops from overseas. The reports say he criticized security policies under incumbent President Joe Biden.

The president-elect picked John Ratcliffe as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Ratcliffe served as national intelligence director during Trump's first term as president.

Within a week of his reelection, Trump has announced his picks for key secretaries and advisors in preparation for his inauguration in January next year.