Just hours after his confirmation as defense secretary on Friday night, Pete Hegseth issued his “message to the force” in a Pentagon press release. He said it was the “privilege of a lifetime to lead the warriors of the Department of Defense,” and he urged his new subordinates to “put America first” and “never back down.”

Pete Hegseth has vowed to bring his “warrior” ethos to the Pentagon. Democrats had assailed him as unfit for the job, and his confirmation came down to Vice President JD Vance serving as tiebreaker.