Sen. Blumenthal grilled SecDef nominee Pete Hegseth on his qualifications despite reaffirming current support for the job SecDef Lloyd Austin has done.

Pete Hegseth was sworn in to lead the Department of Defense on Saturday, after a narrow vote in the Senate. The vote on Friday night was initially 50-50, with Vice President JD Vance then casting the tie-breaking vote.

The new defense secretary’s goals run counter to the military’s apolitical tradition and efforts to build a force that mirrors America.

A telling moment in the supremely depressing Senate confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth, the Fox News personality who is Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, came right at the beginning, when the former Republican senator Norm Coleman introduced him.

Pete Hegseth’s nomination hearing on Tuesday was expected to deliver fireworks — and it didn’t disappoint. While Republicans gave Hegseth the chance to push back against allegations ranging from sexual assault to drunkenness, Democrats homed in on Hegseth’s controversial past to argue he’s not qualified for the Pentagon’s top job.

Wicker did not specify what day the vote would take place, but said it could be as late as next Thursday if Senate Democrats do not allow the chamber to speed up the confirmation process.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski is opposing the nomination of Pete Hegseth to be President Donald Trump's Defense secretary.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin bid farewell Friday to the forces and personnel he has led through a tumultuous term that had three major military crises, a global pandemic and a personal brush with cancer that became a flashpoint for the way it was mishandled.

President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, vowed Tuesday to ... including current Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who was a leader in the initial invasion of ...

In what is expected to be the most rigorous confirmation hearing this week, Pete Hegseth, President-elect ... In contrast, Lloyd Austin’s “paper qualifications” led to utter failure in ...

Pete Hegseth vowed to foster a "warrior culture" at the Pentagon and be a "change agent." He did not address the allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking, focusing instead on his combat experience.

"Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin oversaw the catastrophic Afghanistan ... of Defense on its mission of protecting America. We need Pete Hegseth." Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., an Army veteran of both ...