Hegseth sworn in as Defense secretary after Vance casts tiebreaking vote in Senate

WASHINGTON —  Pete Hegseth was sworn in Saturday as the nation’s 29th Defense secretary after a dramatic late-night vote in the Senate as Democrats and some Republicans questioned his qualifications to lead the Pentagon amid misconduct allegations including heavy drinking and sexual assault.

Hegseth took the oath from Vice President JD Vance in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building with Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer Rauchet, at his side and Republican senators looking on. The ceremony came less than 12 hours after Vance broke a 50-50 tie in the Senate to seal Hegseth’s confirmation.

In brief remarks, Hegseth outlined what he said were his guiding principles: “Restore the warrior ethos in everything that we do, rebuild our military and reestablish deterrence.

“We don’t want to fight wars,” he added. “We want to deter them … and 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.”

Later, in an emailed message to the U.S. military, he said that “we will remain the strongest and most lethal force in the world,” and he singled out the need “to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific by Communist China ... and reorient to key threats. We will stand by our allies — and our enemies are on notice.”

For Hegseth, the challenges ahead are steep, as he takes charge of a sprawling bureaucracy at a time of severe challenges around the globe.

He enters office with far less experience than modern Defense secretaries before him, acknowledging during his confirmation hearing that he’ll need to build an experienced team as he settles into the job.

Hegseth also lacks the broad bipartisan support that most have brought to the role. Every Senate Democrat voted against Hegseth’s confirmation, as did three Republicans. Hegseth refused to meet with any Democrats before confirmation, breaking from tradition.

Rarely has a Cabinet nominee faced such wide-ranging concerns about his experience and behavior and still won confirmation, particularly for such a high-profile role. But the Republican-led Senate was determined to confirm Hegseth, a former Fox News host and combat veteran, to round out President Trump’s top national security Cabinet posts.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Hegseth, as a veteran of the Army National Guard who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, “will bring a warrior’s perspective” to the top military job.

“Gone will be the days of woke distractions,” Thune said, referring to the diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives being eliminated across the federal government under Trump. “The Pentagon’s focus will be on war fighting.”

The Senate’s ability to confirm Hegseth despite serious allegations against him highlights Trump’s political power and ability to get what he wants from the GOP-led Congress, and of the potency of the culture wars to fuel his agenda at the White House.

Senators will soon be considering other Cabinet nominees, including Kash Patel, a Trump ally who has published an enemies list, as FBI director; former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as director of the office of national intelligence; and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine advocate, at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Democrats, the minority in the Senate, had helped confirm Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA Director John Ratcliffe in bipartisan votes. But they fiercely opposed Hegseth, who will lead an organization with nearly 2.1 million service members, about 780,000 civilians and a budget of $850 billion.

“Is Pete Hegseth truly the best we have to offer?” Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, asked his colleagues before the vote.

Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted against Hegseth, questioning his qualifications.

Reacting to the vote, Senate Democratic leader Charles E. Schumer of New York said Republicans have “entrusted the most powerful military in the world to someone with no experience, terrible judgment and serious flaws of character.”

“I hope for the sake of our troops and the good of our country that he can eventually grow into the job,” Schumer said on the Senate floor.

Hegseth faces allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman at a Republican conference in California. He has denied the claims and said the encounter was consensual. He later paid $50,000 to the woman.

More recently, Hegseth’s former sister-in-law said in an affidavit that he was abusive to his second wife to the point she feared for her safety. Hegseth has denied the allegation, and in divorce proceedings, neither he nor his former wife claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse.

During his heated confirmation hearing, Hegseth dismissed the allegations of wrongdoing and promised not to drink on the job.

Hegseth’s comments that women should have no role in military combat drew particular concern on Capitol Hill, including from lawmakers who served. He tried to temper those views as he met with senators during the confirmation process.

Murkowski said in a lengthy statement ahead of a test vote on Hegseth that his behaviors “starkly contrast” with what is expected of the military. Collins said that after a lengthy discussion with Hegseth, “I am not convinced that his position on women serving in combat roles has changed.”

One prominent Republican, Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, a veteran and sexual assault survivor, came under harsh criticism for her skepticism toward Hegseth and eventually announced she would back him.

Mascaro, Jalonick and Amiri write for the Associated Press. AP writer Chris Megerian and Times staff contributed to this report.