Pete Hegseth sworn in as defense secretary: ‘An honor of a lifetime’
Pete Hegseth was sworn in as defense secretary Saturday morning, declaring it an “honor of a lifetime,” and he promised to put America first by bringing peace through strength.
Hegseth, 44, a former Minnesota National Guard officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, secured the role to lead the Pentagon following weeks of intense political drama surrounding his nomination and public scrutiny into his personal life.
“All praise and glory to God. His will be done and we’re grateful to be here,” an ecstatic Hegseth said after taking the oath of office, surrounded by his wife Jenny and children.
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“And as I said in my hearing, it was Jesus and Jenny. I would not be here without you, sweetheart. Thank you so much.”
“I want to thank the President of the United States, our commander-in-chief, Donald Trump. We could not have a better commander-in-chief than him. It is the honor of a lifetime, sir, to serve under you. We look forward to having the backs of our troops and having your back in executing peace through strength, in putting America first and in rebuilding our military.”
Hegseth, a former Fox News host, also thanked Vice President JD Vance, who oversaw the swearing-in ceremony and whose deciding vote on Friday got his nomination over the line.
The Senate was deadlocked at 50-50 with three Republicans — Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. — joining the Democrats in opposing Hegseth’s confirmation.
The stalemate forced Vance to cast the tie-breaking vote, securing his confirmation.
“It’s not the first time the headline reads, ‘Junior enlisted marine bails out junior Army officer,'” Hegseth joked to laughter from attendees.
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Vance, the first vice president to have served as a Marine, was a combat correspondent from 2003 to 2007, including a tour in Iraq, before transitioning to civilian life and attending Ohio State University.
Trump congratulated Hegseth on Truth Social on Friday and said he “will make a great” defense secretary. Other Republicans praised his confirmation, predicting he will bring transformative change to the Pentagon.
Hegseth went on to praise veterans and those who served alongside him in the past, as well as the 1.3 million active-duty service members and the nearly 1 million civilians who work for the military which he now leads.
“The first thing that goes through my head are the guys that I served with on the battlefield, the men and women who I locked shields with, who put my life on the line with, who never get the spotlight, who never had the cameras, who people don’t know what they did in dark and dangerous places,” Hegseth said.
“At the Pentagon, we’re going to remember, and we’re going to think about those warriors with every single decision that we make.”
“We will put America first. We will bring peace through strength.”
He outlined three principles that he said he will bring to the Pentagon.
“Restore the warrior ethos in everything that we do, rebuild our military and reestablish deterrence. We don’t want to fight wars, we want to deter them,” Hegseth said.
“We want to end them responsibly but if we need to fight them, we’re going to bring overwhelming and decisive force to close with and destroy the enemy and bring our boys home. And to my other family that’s here as well, who I love, it’s the honor of a lifetime.”
Shortly after he was sworn in, Hegseth released a statement via the defense department website addressing members of the Pentagon. The statement addressed his three principles.
“All of this will be done with a focus on lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards and readiness,” the statement reads.
“I have committed my life to warfighters and their families. Just as my fellow soldiers had my back on the battlefield, know that I will always have your back. We serve together at a dangerous time. Our enemies will neither rest nor relent. And neither will we. We will stand shoulder to shoulder to meet the urgency of this moment.”
“Like each of you, I love my country and swore an oath to defend the Constitution. We will do that each and every day, as one team. Together, we will accomplish the President’s mission to deter war and, if necessary, defeat and destroy our enemies. Godspeed!”
Fox News’ Landon Mion contributed to this report.