That’s called “jointness,” about which Hegseth knows little. He touted his Army background in the National Guard as a qualification to be secretary of Defense, but just as different cultures, goals and methods divide allies in a coalition, they also divide military branches.

Every one of Hegseth’s predecessors emphasized unity and a diverse military as key to national progress and defense.

A senator told Hegseth: "I suggest you do a little homework before you prepare for these types of negotiations."

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

The newly sworn-in defense secretary outlined plans on Saturday to advance the president's defense priorities.

The Senate’s 50-50 vote for Pete Hegseth marked the second time in history that a vice president was called upon to break the tie to confirm a Cabinet official.

A Princeton and Harvard-educated former combat veteran, Hegseth went on to make a career at Fox News, where he hosted a weekend show. Trump tapped him as the defense secretary to lead an organization with nearly 2.1 million service members, about 780,000 civilians and a budget of $850 billion.

An armed man arrested at the U.S. Capitol said he planned to kill Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

Whatever is needed at the border will be provided,” Pete Hegseth, the new defense secretary, told reporters on Monday.

The U.S. Senate has confirmed former combat veteran and Fox News host Pete Hegseth to serve as President Donald Trump’s Defense Secretary. (AP Video: Mike Pesoli)

Excited miners celebrated finding a rich vein of gold at a mining pit in Myanmar. Footage shows the workers shovelling dirt from the abundant spot of precious metal in Kachin State on January 1. They collected the soil and rocks into a sack and dug further,

Hegseth responded at the heated Senate confirmation ... ASEAN is made up of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.