Pete Hegseth, the newly sworn-in defense secretary, unveiled three ways the Department of Defense (DOD) will carry out President Donald Trump's vision to "achieve peace through strength" in a press release issued shortly after taking office on Saturday.
Newsweek has reached out to the DOD's press team via email on Saturday afternoon.
Why It Matters
Hegseth was sworn in Saturday morning after receiving just enough votes to be confirmed last night. He was widely considered the most controversial Cabinet nominee and was dogged by allegations of sexual misconduct and alcohol abuse ahead of his confirmation vote.
As the new defense secretary, he will lead the nation's troops, serve as a defense adviser to the president, as well as carry out Trump's mission.
What To Know
In the Saturday press release, Hegseth outlined three areas the DOD will work on, "restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military, and reestablishing deterrence."
On the first measure, he pledged to "revive the warrior ethos and restore trust in our military," adding that "the strength of our military is our unity and our shared purpose."
Regarding rebuilding the military, which is currently about 1.3 million active-duty service members, Hegseth said: "This means reviving our defense industrial base, reforming our acquisition process, passing a financial audit, and rapidly fielding emerging technologies." The DOD has failed to pass all seven annual audits conducted so far.
To "reestablish deterrence" Hegseth said that "we will work with allies and partners to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific by Communist China, as well as supporting the President's priority to end wars responsibly and reorient to key threats. We will stand by our allies—and our enemies are on notice."
The former Fox News host's confirmation comes after months of lobbying for Republican votes. The GOP currently holds a slim majority in the Senate and with Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine already opposed to his nomination heading into Friday, Hegseth could only afford to lose one more vote to clinch his role as Pentagon chief.
Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, who previously led Senate Republicans for over a decade, also voted "no" on Friday. Vice President JD Vance then cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of Hegseth.
Controversies Surrounding Hegseth
Controversies over personal conduct, qualifications, drinking, and sexual assault allegations—which he has denied—swirled during Hegseth's confirmation.
His lawyer previously told Newsweek, "Although an allegation was made, it was fully investigated and Pete was cleared. This unfortunate episode should have zero impact on the confirmation process."
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Hegseth paid $50,000 to the woman who accused him of assault. Hegseth disclosed the figure in response to a set of questions from Democratic Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.
The New Yorker reported last month that Hegseth was allegedly intoxicated several times while he was CEO of the Koch-backed group Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) from 2013 to 2016.
Hegseth was so intoxicated that he needed "to be carried out of the organization's events," the report said. When asked about the allegations, Hegseth told reporters that he was "not gonna dignify that with a response."
Hegseth has previously called to get rid of "woke" military leaders and argued that women should not serve in combat roles. Hegseth has also advocated for pardoning service members accused of war crimes.
What People Are Saying
Charlie Kirk, founder and CEO of Turing Point USA, celebrated Hegseth's swearing in on X, formerly Twitter, and wrote: "Pete Hegseth's first words as Secretary of Defense: 'All praise and glory to God. His will be done.' Amen."
Democratic Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona said ahead of the vote: "Pete Hegseth isn't going to shake up the Pentagon's bureaucracy – it's going to crush him. Because it's not just his lack of experience. The little experience he does have is riddled with serious issues of mismanagement."
Donald Trump Jr. wrote in an X post on Friday: "Pete Hegseth will be our next secretary of defense. This is a great day for America and our military. Congrats @PeteHegseth."
Republican Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said in a Friday statement: "In his testimony before the Committee, Mr. Hegseth provided no substantial observations on how to defend Taiwan or the Philippines against a Chinese attack, or even whether he believes the United States should do so. He failed, for that matter, to articulate in any detail a strategic vision for dealing with the gravest long-term threat emanating from the PRC."
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