By Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali and Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Pete Hegseth narrowly secured enough votes on Friday to become the next U.S. defense secretary, a major victory for President Donald Trump after fierce opposition from Democrats and even some Republicans to his controversial nominee.
Hegseth was confirmed after a 50-50 vote in the Senate when Vice President JD Vance came into the chamber to break the tie in his role as Senate President after three Republicans voted no along with all Democrats and independents.
Hegseth, a former Fox News personality and decorated veteran, promises to bring about major changes at the Pentagon. But his leadership will face intense scrutiny after a painful confirmation review raised serious questions about his qualifications, temperament and views on women in combat.
“We’ve never had a defense secretary like Hegseth,” said Jeremi Suri, a history professor and presidential researcher at the University of Texas at Austin.
Hegseth is the most controversial candidate for the U.S. military’s top job, a position that has historically gone to candidates with extensive experience leading large organizations and broad bipartisan support.
It was only the second time in history that a Cabinet nominee needed a tiebreaker to be confirmed. The first was also a Trump nominee, Betsy DeVos, who became education secretary in 2017.
The three Republican senators who voted against Hegseth were Senators Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Mitch McConnell, who was the party leader in the House until this month.
McConnell said Hegseth had not proven he was capable of effectively leading an organization as large and complex as the military. “The mere desire to be a ‘change agent’ is not enough to fill these shoes,” McConnell said in a statement.
The top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, said in a statement he would watch Hegseth “like a hawk” and “demand accountability.”
Hegseth will oversee 1.3 million active-duty military personnel and the nearly 1 million civilians who work for the U.S. military, which has an annual budget of nearly $1 trillion. Hegseth told lawmakers that the largest group he had led to that point consisted of 100 people and the largest budget was $16 million.
His nomination has been rocked by a series of allegations, including one this week from his former sister-in-law, who said he abused his second wife so much that she hid in a closet and had a code word he could use with friends when she needed to be rescued. Hegseth strongly denied the allegations and his wife had previously denied any physical abuse.
TRUMP BEHIND PICK
Trump, whose nominees for FBI and intelligence chief are also under Senate control, remained steadfast in his choice and put great pressure on his fellow Republicans to support the 44-year-old television personality.
Suri said the vote showed the extent of Trump’s power as he begins his second term.
“It certainly means that Trump has tremendous influence over the Republican Party and members of the Senate,” he said.
Before Friday’s vote, Trump admonished two fellow Republicans, Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, who voted against Hegseth in a procedural test vote on Thursday.
“I was very surprised that Collins and Murkowski did that,” Trump told reporters Friday morning.
But most Senate Republicans joined in defense of the nominee, who they said would restore the U.S. military’s “warrior mentality.”
Hegseth has criticized diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the military and questioned in his latest book whether the top U.S. general has the job because he is Black. Reuters has previously reported on the possibility of mass layoffs among top executives, something Hegseth repeatedly declined to rule out during his confirmation process.
ADVERTISING WOMEN IN FIGHT
Hegseth also was staunchly opposed to women in combat roles for years, but walked back that stance as he sought support for his confirmation, including from military veterans like Republican Sen. Joni Ernst.
Ernst was one of 14 Republicans on the Armed Services Committee who voted for Hegseth when the committee supported him by a vote of 14-13, with every Democrat rejecting his nomination.
A number of incidents have raised concerns about Hegseth, including a 2017 allegation of sexual assault that did not result in charges and which Hegseth denies. Sexual assault is an ongoing problem in the U.S. military.
Hegseth was also accused of excessive drinking and financial mismanagement at veterans organizations. He has vowed to abstain from alcohol if confirmed and said he made financial mistakes but denied wrongdoing.
In a 2021 incident first reported by Reuters, Hegseth was branded an “insider threat” by an Army National Guard colleague because of his tattoos. Hegseth noted the incident during the hearing, which led to him being removed from guard duty in Washington during Biden’s inauguration.
He takes office after the Trump administration said border security and immigration would be a focus of the U.S. military.
On Friday, US military C-17 aircraft began flying detained migrants out of the country on Trump’s orders. This was the U.S. military’s first such involvement in deportations in recent memory.
The Pentagon has announced plans to send 1,500 active-duty troops to the border in response to Trump’s order, a number that is expected to grow quickly. U.S. officials told Reuters on Friday that the military was preparing to send in a second wave of troops, likely from the 82nd Airborne Division.
Little is known about Hegseth’s stance on major foreign policy issues such as arming Ukraine, how to prepare the U.S. military for a potential conflict with China, and whether he would seek to expand the U.S. military footprint in countries like Syria and the United States Iraq.
The near-partisan confirmation vote was a departure from a position that Republican and Democratic administrations have long sought as bipartisan.
Former President Joe Biden’s defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, was confirmed in 2021 by a 93-2 vote, and Jim Mattis, Trump’s first defense secretary in his final term, was confirmed in 2017 by a 98-1 vote.
Hegseth’s Republican supporters in the Senate have argued that he has acknowledged personal mistakes, including infidelity and past drinking, and is the right person to bring the Pentagon’s core mission of winning wars back into focus.
The last candidate for Secretary of Defense to be defeated was former Senator John Tower in 1989. Tower was investigated for drunkenness and inappropriate behavior toward women.
