Pete Hegseth has vowed to bring his “warrior” ethos to the Pentagon. Democrats had assailed him as unfit for the job, and his confirmation came down to Vice President JD Vance serving as tiebreaker.

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Three Republicans voted with every Democrat against Trump’s controversial pick to lead the Pentagon, forcing Vance to step in and put Hegseth over the top.

After being sworn-in by Vice President JD Vance, the Pentagon’s new leader addressed the Defense Department’s three million employees.

A Princeton and Harvard-educated former combat veteran, Hegseth went on to make a career at Fox News, where he hosted a weekend show. Trump tapped him as the defense secretary to lead an organization with nearly 2.1 million service members, about 780,000 civilians and a budget of $850 billion.

Pete Hegseth faced criticism for opposing women in combat, with debates highlighting physical and psychological differences between sexes and mocking feminist arguments on women in military and emergency roles.

The former Fox News host faced allegations about sexual assault and excessive drinking, which he called smears.

Pete Hegseth has been sworn as the secretary of defense, taking the oath from Vice President JD Vance less than 12 hours after a dramatic late-night vote in the Senate.

In our news wrap Saturday, Pete Hegseth was sworn in as defense secretary, the Senate confirmed Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary, Trump reportedly fired more than a dozen inspectors general at nearly every Cabinet-level agency,

The new defense secretary’s goals run counter to the military’s apolitical tradition and efforts to build a force that mirrors America.

The Senate on Friday night voted to confirm Pete Hegseth as defense secretary after Vice President JD Vance stepped in to cast the tiebreaking vote. Hegseth’s nomination had been hampered by allegations of misconduct.