Pete Hegseth was sworn in as Minister of Defense Saturday morning, declaring it an “honor of a lifetime,” and vowed to put America first by bringing peace through strength.
Hegseth, 44, a former Minnesota National Guard officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was tapped to lead the Pentagon after weeks of intense political drama surrounding his nomination and public scrutiny of his private life.
“All praise and glory to God. His will be done and we are grateful to be here,” said an ecstatic Hegseth after taking the oath, surrounded by his wife Jenny and children.
Pete Hegseth is surrounded by his wife Jennifer Rauchet and his seven children as he is sworn in as Secretary of Defense by Vice President JD Vance in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House in Washington, DC on January 25, 2025. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP)
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“And as I said in my hearing, it was Jesus and Jenny. I wouldn’t be here without you, honey. Thank you so much.”
“I want to thank the President of the United States, our Commander in Chief, Donald Trump. We could not have had a better commander-in-chief than him. It is the honor of life, sir, to serve under you. We look forward to having the backs of our troops and to having your back in implementing peace through strength, in putting America first and in rebuilding our military.”
Hegseth, a former Fox News anchor, also offered his thanks Vice President JD Vancewho oversaw the swearing-in ceremony and whose deciding vote on Friday brought his nomination over the line.
The Senate was deadlocked 50-50 with three Republicans — Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. — joining Democrats in opposing Hegseth’s confirmation.
The stalemate forced Vance to cast the deciding vote, securing his confirmation.
“It’s not the first time the headline has read, ‘Junior Marine vouches for junior Army officer,'” Hegseth joked, drawing laughs from the audience.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hugs his children after being sworn in.
Vance, the first vice president who 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 at the Truth Social on Friday and said he would “make a great” defense secretary. Other Republicans praised his confirmation, predicting it would bring about transformative changes 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 nearly 1 million civilians who work for the military he now leads.
“The first thing that goes through my mind are the guys I served with on the battlefield, the men and women I grabbed shields with, who put my life on the line, who were never in the spotlight, who never had cameras, who people they don’t know what they were doing in dark and dangerous places,” Hegseth said.
“At the Pentagon, we will remember and think of those warriors with every decision we make.”
“We will put America first. We will bring peace through force.”
He outlined three principles he said he would bring to the Pentagon.
“To restore the warrior ethos to everything we do, rebuild our military and reestablish deterrence. We don’t want to fight wars, we want to deter them,” Hegseth said.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies during a Senate confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill January 14 in Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“We want to end them responsibly, but if we have to fight them, we will bring an overwhelming and decisive force to close in and destroy the enemy and bring our boys home. And to my other family who is also here, whom I love, it is the honor of life. “
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Shortly after being sworn in, Hegseth released a statement via the Department of Defense website addressing members of the Pentagon. The statement referred to his three principles.
“All of this will be done with a focus on lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards and readiness,” the statement said.
“I have dedicated my life to fighting men and their families. Just as my comrades had my back on the battlefield, know that I will always have your back. We serve together in a time of peril. Our enemies will not budge or relent. And neither will we . We will stand side by side to meet the urgency of this moment.”
“Like each of you, I love my country and I have sworn to defend the Constitution. We will do so every day, as a team. Together, we will carry out the President’s mission to deter war and, if necessary, defeat and destroy our enemies!”
Fox News’ Landon Mion contributed to this report.
