Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Saturday that the U.S. military would be ready to destroy its enemies with overwhelming force if need be under his leadership.
Hegseth made the remarks at the White House immediately after being sworn into office by Vice President JD Vance after he was confirmed Friday night in a 51-50 vote.
“All praise and glory to God. His will be done, and we’re grateful to be here,” Hegseth said. “And as I said in my hearing, it was Jesus and Jenny, I would not be here without you, sweetheart.”
He said that he was thankful to serve under President Donald Trump and that he would execute Trump’s vision of “peace through strength, putting America first, and in rebuilding our military.”
“I look forward to working with all of you and other senators to ensure the Defense Department has what it needs, that our nation has what it needs, and that we’re prepared to defend it in all moments,” he said.
Hegseth said that the three principles he wants to bring to the Pentagon are: restoring the warrior ethos in everything that the military does, rebuilding the military, and re-establishing deterrence.
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“We don’t want to fight wars,” he said. “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.”
WATCH: Secretary of Defense @PeteHegseth‘s full remarks upon swearing in 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/d4ukr5u8qK
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In addition to his post-confirmation remarks, Hegseth later sent a message “to the force.”
“The President gave us a clear mission: achieve Peace through Strength. We will do this in three ways — by restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military, and reestablishing deterrence,” Hegseth stated, offering further details on how he would set out to achieve his goals.
“I have committed my life to warfighters and their families. Just as my fellow soldiers had my back on the battlefield, know that I will always have your back,” Hegseth continued. “We serve together at a dangerous time. Our enemies will neither rest nor relent. And neither will we. We will stand shoulder to shoulder to meet the urgency of this moment.”
