Pete Hegseth takes office as US secretary of defence

On the morning of January 25, Vice President JD Vance swore in Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defence, officially appointing him to lead 3.5 million service members and civilians of the US, following his Senate confirmation on the evening of January 24.

"When President Trump chose me for this position, the primary charge he gave me was to bring the warrior culture back to the Department of Defense," Hegseth said during his January 14 confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Caliber.Az reports, citing the message of the US Department of Defence. 

"He, like me, wants a Pentagon laser-focused on lethality, meritocracy, warfighting, accountability and readiness."  Hegseth emphasized that restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding the military, and reestablishing deterrence are essential to revitalizing warfighting capabilities.

Describing himself as a change agent, he outlined his vision for fostering a culture of accountability, high standards, performance, readiness, rapid innovation, and merit throughout the Department of Defense.  

"We share the same goals," he told the committee.

"A ready, lethal military; the health and well-being of our troops; and a strong and secure America."  He also stated that he would reduce bureaucracy and redirect resources to support the warfighter. "We won World War II with seven four-star generals," he said.

"Today we have 44. … There is an inverse relationship between the size of staffs and victory on the battlefield. We do not need more bureaucracy at the top. We need more warfighters empowered at the bottom. So, it is going to be my job … to identify those places where fat can be cut, so it can go toward lethality." 

Former Army National Guard officer, 44-year-old Hegseth served as an infantryman, leading troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and guarding detainees at Guantanamo Bay. 

His military honors include two Bronze Star Medals, the Joint Commendation Medal, two Army Commendation Medals, the Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Expert Infantryman Badge. Hegseth said his role as the 29th secretary of defense is "the most important deployment of my life." 

Originally from Minnesota, Hegseth graduated from Princeton University in 2003 and earned a master's degree from Harvard University in 2013. He has led organizations supporting veterans, worked as a Fox News host, and authored several books.

The US Senate narrowly confirmed Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defence, marking a significant victory for President Donald Trump.

Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote in a 51-50 result after several Republican senators, including former GOP leader Mitch McConnell, along with GOP Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, joined Democrats in opposing Hegseth's nomination.

This was only the second time in US history that a vice president had broken a tie on a Cabinet nominee, the first being Vice President Mike Pence in 2017 for Betsy DeVos' confirmation as Education Secretary.

By Naila Huseynova