Pete Hegseth ordered America’s troops to “put America first” and “by no means again down” in a “message to the pressure” hours after his razor-thin affirmation as Protection Secretary.
In a press release printed by the Pentagon on Saturday after his swearing-in ceremony, Hegseth wrote, “The President gave us a transparent mission: obtain Peace by way of Power. We are going to do that in 3 ways—by restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding our navy, and reestablishing deterrence.”
“We’re American warriors,” he continued. “We are going to defend our nation. Our requirements might be excessive, uncompromising, and clear. The power of our navy is our unity and our shared objective.”
“All of this might be carried out with a deal with lethality, meritocracy, accountability, requirements, and readiness,” the previous Fox Information host and veteran added.
Hegseth, 44, who was amongst President Donald Trump’s most controversial Cupboard picks, on Friday eked out a successful Senate confirmation by a single tie-breaking vote, forged by Vice President JD Vance.
Along with questions on whether or not he had the mandatory expertise for the place, Hegseth confronted blowback over his history of infidelity, an allegation of sexual assault (which he has denied), a number of allegations addressing previous struggles with alcohol (which he has additionally denied) and his previous opposition to women in combat roles.
Through the affirmation course of, Hegseth repeatedly dismissed the slew of stories tales that raised questions on his character—together with an e mail reported by The New York Occasions through which Hegseth’s personal mom accused him of abusing “many” girls—as a media “smear marketing campaign.”
He additionally walked again his previous criticism of ladies within the navy, saying that “each service member, no matter gender, who can meet goal occupational and readiness requirements for a profession discipline ought to have the chance to compete for jobs in that discipline.”
As Secretary of Protection, Hegseth might be liable for overseeing the third-largest and best-funded navy on the planet.
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