Some Republican senators expressed surprise and little knowledge about who exactly is newly elected President Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense.

“Wow,” remarked Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, after Trump announced former National Guard member and Fox News host Pete Hegseth as his choice for the top job.

“I’m just surprised because the names I’ve heard for Secretary of Defense don’t include him,” Murkowski said.

Trump on Tuesday called 44-year-old Hegseth “tough, smart and a true supporter of America First.”

Some senators didn’t know who Hegseth is or much about him.

“WHO?” Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, said when asked about the choice. “I don’t know Pete. I just don’t know anything about him.”

Any choice for a defense secretary must be confirmed by the Senate, which NBC News predicts will be under Republican control.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., weighed in, calling Hegseth a “great choice.”

“Pete brings a lot to the table. He has experience and I think he will be reform-minded in the areas that require reform.” Johnson said.

Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, expressed confidence. “I think he’s going to be a very strong secretary of defense,” she said.

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Oklahoma, said, “I was surprised I didn’t hear his name mentioned.”

“But several people’s names have also come out of left field,” Mullin said. “This is where President Trump is really good at putting people in their place.”

Sen. Ted Budd, R-North Carolina, called Hegseth “an impressive individual” and predicted there would be no problems confirming him to the Senate.

“Look, there are a lot of great options, and I’m certainly going to support President Trump and his agenda and his nominees,” Budd said. He said he thinks Hegseth is qualified and “knows how to put a great team around him.”

Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, also said he was surprised by the choice but said Trump has done an “excellent job” with his picks so far.

“I’m not going to be negative right now because I want to know more about his background and, you know, and his approach to these types of things so that he will go through the regular process,” Rounds said.

Hegseth is a combat veteran who served as a captain in the Army National Guard. He served abroad in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as Guantanamo Bay.

He started working at Fox News in 2014 and co-hosted “FOX & Friends Weekend” in 2017, the network reported. His last day at Fox News was Tuesday, the same day as Trump’s announcement, the network said.