Kristi Noem nominated as Trump’s homeland security chief

US president-elect Donald Trump says he will nominate Fox News host Pete Hegseth to be defence secretary, adding another loyalist to his national security team.

Hegseth, 44, an army veteran who has no government experience, is an unconventional selection to lead the country’s largest employer, including more than 1.3mn active duty service members, 750,000 civilians and more than 811,000 National Guard and reserve members.

“With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice — our military will be great again, and America will never back down,” Trump said in a statement.

Trump had a fraught relationship with the civilian and military leaders at the Pentagon during his first term in office, churning through five secretaries of defence over four years.