After being sworn in as the United States Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth told all the US veterans and members of the military, "We don't want to fight wars."
Hegseth, a former Minnesota National Guard officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, was sworn in by Vice President J.D. Vance on Saturday morning to lead the Pentagon.
"It is an honor of a lifetime, sir, to serve under you. We look forward to having the backs of our troops and having your back in executing Peace Through Strength, in putting America first, and in rebuilding our military," Hegseth said in his official statement after being sworn in.
Pete Hegseth’s first words as Secretary of Defense:“All praise and glory to God. His will be done."Amen. pic.twitter.com/h4rBFq6ck4
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) January 25, 2025
Hegseth faced a ton of backlash after it was announced that he would be the next defense secretary. He faced allegations of drunkenness as well as other allegations of personal misconduct. During a vote, he suffered three Republican defections ending in a tie. Vance voted in favor of having Hegseth as defense secretary, breaking the tie.
According to The New York Post, Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) voted against Hegseth's nomination.
'We are going to think about those warriors'
During his first speech as defense secretary, Hegseth spoke about how he is determined to make sure that every veteran and every US military personnel will be thought about and remembered.
"People don't know what they did in those dark and dangerous places, but I do," he said. "At the Pentagon, we are going to remember, and we're going to know. We are going to think about those warriors with every decision that we make."
The honor of a lifetime. pic.twitter.com/zEFnTxQ7iX
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) January 25, 2025
Elaborating on his message further, Hegseth said, "We will put America first, and we will bring peace through strength."
"We don't want to fight wars; we want to deter them," he said, turning to Vance, who then nodded in agreement. "We want to end them responsibly."