Mr. Pete Hegseth officially became US Secretary of Defense

(CLO) Mr. Pete Hegseth passed the confirmation vote in the US Senate on January 24, to officially become the new US Secretary of Defense.

This is a major victory for President Donald Trump, despite strong opposition from Democrats and some Republicans.

The Senate vote ended in a 50-50 tie, forcing Vice President JD Vance to use his Senate presiding authority to break the tie and put Mr. Hegseth in charge of the Pentagon. Three Republican senators — Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Mitch McConnell — joined the entire Democratic Party in voting against Mr. Hegseth.

Mr. Pete Hegseth. Photo: X /.DerrickEvans4WV

Mr. Hegseth, a former military veteran and former Fox News host, has pledged to make major changes at the Pentagon. But he will face intense scrutiny after a contentious hearing that raised questions about his competence, character and views on women in the military.

Mr. Hegseth's appointment is one of the most divisive decisions in the history of the US Department of Defense , as the position is usually reserved for people with experience managing large organizations and receives bipartisan consensus.

According to Professor Jeremi Suri, an expert on presidential history at the University of Texas, Mr. Hegseth is an "unprecedented" candidate. He is the second person in US cabinet history to need the Vice President's deciding vote to be approved, after Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos in 2017 under Mr. Trump.

Senator Mitch McConnell, the former Republican leader of the Senate, said Mr. Hegseth was not qualified to manage an organization as complex as the US military. "Simply wanting to make changes is not enough to take on this role," he said.

Mr. Hegseth will have to lead 1.3 million active-duty service members and nearly 1 million civilian employees at the Department of Defense, with an annual budget of nearly $1 trillion. He acknowledged before the Senate that his most extensive previous management experience was limited to running a 100-person organization with a $16 million budget.

Despite the controversy, President Trump has stood by his choice and pressured Republicans to back Mr. Hegseth, specifically criticizing Senators Murkowski and Collins for opposing his nominee in an earlier test vote.

Hegseth takes office as the Trump administration focuses on border security and immigration issues. On January 24, C-17 military aircraft began flying detained immigrants out of the country.

Compared to previous defense secretaries, Mr. Hegseth does not enjoy widespread support. His predecessor, Lloyd Austin, under President Joe Biden, was confirmed by the Senate by a 93-2 margin in 2021, while James Mattis, Mr. Trump’s first defense secretary, was approved by a 98-1 margin in 2017.

Cao Phong (according to NPR, WP, PBS)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/ong-pete-hegseth-tro-thanh-bo-truong-quoc-phong-my-sau-cuoc-bo-phieu-50-50-post331971.html