Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Europeans this week that "realities" prevent the U.S. from being its security guarantor, and to expect a drawdown of U.S. forces in the region. 

"We are focusing on security of our own borders. We also face a peer competitor in the Communist Chinese with the capability and intent to threaten our homeland and core national interests in the Indo-Pacific," Hegseth told a meeting of a Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Belgium on Wednesday. 

"The U.S. is prioritizing deterring war with China in the Pacific. Recognizing the reality of scarcity and making the resourcing trade-offs to ensure deterrence does not fail. Deterrence cannot fail."

This was Hegseth’s first trip to the headquarters of the NATO alliance. 

HEGSETH BANS FUTURE TRANS SOLDIERS, MAKES SWEEPING CHANGES FOR CURRENT ONES

The U.S. defense secretary called on Europe to "take ownership of conventional security on the continent."

"European allies must lead from the front," he went on. "Together, we can establish a division of labor that maximize our comparative advantages in Europe and Pacific, respectively."

Hegseth said on Tuesday the U.S. has no active plans to draw down forces in Europe but remains committed to analyzing U.S. troop postures across the globe. Speaking at U.S. Africa Command headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, he said the U.S. is committed to having a presence in Europe while emphasizing the continent should not rely on that presence for security. 

UKRAINE REGAINING PRE-2014 BORDERS IS ‘UNREALISTIC OBJECTIVE,’ HEGSETH SAYS IN FIRST NATO VISIT

"The European continent deserves to be free from any aggression, but it ought be those in the neighborhood investing the most in that defense," he said. "That’s common sense. You defend your neighborhood, and the Americans will come alongside you in helping in that defense."

Roughly 100,000 U.S. troops are deployed across Europe, about a third of which are in Germany, according to Defense Department figures. Some 375,000 U.S. forces are assigned to the Indo-Pacific Command. 

During his first term, President Donald Trump began pulling thousands of troops out of Europe. 

Under the Trump administration, the U.S. has begun to bolster its troop presence on the southern border. Some 1,500 more U.S. troops deployed to the southern border last week, bringing the total up to 3,600. 

HEGSETH SAYS DOGE WELCOME AT PENTAGON AS DEFENSE DEPARTMENT REVIEWS MILITARY POSTURE GLOBALLY

Hegseth also said that any European peacekeeping forces sent to help Ukraine win the war against Russia must not be from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and would not be protected under Article 5, a provision that states an attack on one NATO country is an attack on all. 

The defense secretary said the U.S. does not believe allowing Ukraine into NATO is a "realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement."

Hegseth also called on NATO countries to step up after Trump recently called on them to boost defense spending to 5%. 

"The United States will no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship which encourages dependency."

Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelenskyy suggested that security guarantees for Ukraine without the U.S. are "not real security guarantees." 

"There are voices which say that Europe could offer security guarantees without the Americans, and I always say no," he told The Guardian. "Security guarantees without America are not real security guarantees."

President Donald Trump's team of zealous cost-cutters under Elon Musk will soon set their sights on the U.S.’s largest discretionary budget. 

With an annual budget of $850 billion, the Pentagon has long been plagued by accusations of waste and inefficiency in its defense programs and recently failed its seventh straight audit.

"We’re going to find billions, hundreds of millions of dollars of fraud and abuse," Trump predicted in an interview with Fox News' Bret Baier on Sunday. 

Congress appropriates the Department of Defense (DOD) budget each year in great detail, and urging lawmakers to trim costs may be where Republicans publicly break with Musk and his burn-it-all-down style. 

Here is a look at where the Department of Government Efficiency team could set their sights.

MUSK'S NEXT TARGET? TRUMP SAYS DOGE WILL LOOK AT DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, PENTAGON FUNDING

The inclination of Musk and his team seems to be to cull federal employees, but cost-cutting advocates argue that outsourcing work to contractors could have the opposite effect.

Typically, around half the Pentagon’s budget goes to contractors, corporations that have a profit motive unlike the government itself. The government relies on contractors for software support, training, weapons and to act as paramilitary forces in foreign missions. 

"A major driver of Pentagon waste is actually service contracting for what are really core government functions and administrative capacities, like simple things [such] as IT support," said Julia Gledhill, a researcher at the Stimson Center's National Security Reform program. 

"It might run contrary to their larger project based on efforts to cut the civilian workforce, but there are a lot of areas to cut Pentagon waste by actually building up government capacity to do basic administrative functions rather than outsourcing them at a very high cost." 

HEGSETH WELCOMES IN ELON MUSK'S DOGE FOR 'LONG OVERDUE' DOD SPENDING OVERHAUL

In 2015, the Defense Business Board, at the request of DOD leaders, found that the Pentagon could save $125 billion over five years by renegotiating service contracts, streamlining the bureaucracy through attrition and early retirements, and consolidating IT processes. 

The report found the Pentagon was paying an eye-watering 1,014,000 contractors to fill back-office jobs far away from the front lines. The DOD currently only lists around 1.3 million active duty troops. 

However, the plan was never widely implemented, and Pentagon leaders took steps to "bury" it for fear of budget cuts, according to a Washington Post report. 

In October 2024, a two-year audit by the Defense Department Inspector General found Boeing overcharged the Air Force by 8,000% for soap dispensers that the service branch paid $149,072 over market price for. Of a selected 46 spare parts that were scrutinized by the audit, the report found the Air Force overpaid about $1 million for 12 of them for its C-17 transport planes. 

That followed a 2018 congressional inquiry that revealed the Air Force was spending $1,300 for each reheatable coffee cup on its KC-10 aircraft – and then replacing them instead of repairing them when their handles broke. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, found the Air Force spent $32,000 replacing 25 cups. 

Musk has suggested that he will look to eliminate the F-35 stealth fighter jet program, long dogged by cost overruns, glitches and delays. In posts on X, he called it the "the worst military value for money in history," and the jet itself "an expensive & complex jack of all trades, master of none" and added that "manned fighter jets are obsolete in the age of drones anyway."

However, doing away with the F-35 has run into opposition in Congress every time it has been suggested. 

A recent report put out by Taxpayers for Common Sense, Quincy Institute and Stimson called for retiring the F-35 jets and eliminating a ballistic missile program. 

Halting the F-35 fighter jet program, dogged by cost overruns, glitches and delays, as some have advocated for, would trim $12 billion per year, according to the joint report. 

But Congress would need to get on board with defunding the F-35 in its yearly defense bill, and Lockheed Martin produces the plane's parts in many states across the country, where lawmakers have constituents with jobs at risk.

"Defunding weapons that are overpriced, underperforming, and out of step with current missions, like the F-35 combat aircraft and the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile, would allow us to invest more in real priorities while also tackling the nation’s tremendous debt," said Gabe Murphy of Taxpayers for Common Sense.

TRUMP DOD CREATES TASK FORCE TO ABOLISH DEI OFFICES THAT ‘PROMOTE SYSTEMIC RACISM’

"The ICBM no longer necessarily the most accurate, you know, weapon we have in our nuclear arsenal," added Gledhill. 

"We have our sea and air legs of the nuclear triad that are just as accurate and, you know, not as vulnerable as our ICBMs are because, you know, ICBMs are in the ground, we know where they are. It's public knowledge."

The report found that eliminating the Sentinel ICBM program would save $3.7 billion per year.

The Stimson report found that "targeted closures and realignments" of U.S. military bases could save another $3-5 billion per year.

"Even if say I accept all the missions we have now in the world, you could probably cut some overseas bases without even really rethinking strategy," said Ben Friedman, policy director at Defense Priorities. 

"If you accept that we're trying to manage the Middle East through US military troop presence or at least the ability to deploy troops and say, okay, we could do with fewer bases." 

The Trump team is reportedly considering shutting down its presence in Syria, where 2,000 troops are currently stationed. 

In the 1980s, under President Ronald Reagan, the government took up an effort known as Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), a post-Cold War process to coordinate the end of force postures that are no longer needed. Five rounds of BRAC shut down 350 installations at a savings of $12 billion, but the last BRAC process ended in 2011. 

Some of the Pentagon’s $143.2 billion budget for research may also come under scrutiny. 

Lawmakers last year demanded to know how an AI researcher in China acquired $30 million in U.S. grants. In 2021, Song-Chun Zhu was the lead investigator on two projects totaling $1.2 million from DOD grants seeking to develop "high-level robot autonomy" that is "important for DoD tasks," and "cognitive robot platforms" for "intelligence and surveillance systems." 

Additionally, the Defense Department inspector general found last summer that $46.7 million in defense funds from 2014 to 2023 had gone to EcoHealth Alliance, the nonprofit that funded gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a lab many suspect was the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under a use-it-or-lose-it policy, in the last month of the fiscal year, federal agencies work to spend all that is left in their federal budgets, worried that Congress will appropriate them a smaller amount next year if not. The Pentagon is no exception.

In September 2024, the DOD spent more than it had in any other month since 2008, with a hefty taxpayer price tag for fine dining.

It spent $6.1 million on lobster tails, $16.6 million on rib-eye steaks, 6.4 million on salmon and $407,000 on Alaskan king crab, as highlighted in an X thread by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.

That same month, DOD spent $211.7 million on new furniture, including $36,000 on foot rests.

Cost-cutting initiatives will face opposition from a Congress that has never been keen to take a scalpel to the nation's defenses. 

"If history is any kind of precedent, I do think that this is where you'll start to see at least a real sort of tension arise," said Diana Shaw, former State Department Inspector General. "There are a lot of vested interests, and not just economic."

"There are folks with philosophical interests in the entire defense infrastructure and the military. And so, this is an area that has been well protected historically. And so I do think this now will be an interesting test case to see whether there will be, even within the Republican Party now, some pushback to the sort of aggressive cutting and picking apart that we've seen happen at other agencies that have historically been sort of less favored by members of the Republican Party."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is "welcome at the Pentagon," telling reporters in Stuttgart, Germany, during his first overseas trip at the helm that the Department of Defense (DoD) will also be reviewing U.S. military posture globally to account for different "strategic assumptions" between President Donald Trump and former President Joe Biden.

Upon arriving at the headquarters of U.S. European Command and Africa Command, Hegseth did push-ups, dead-lifts and other PT exercises with the 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) – a gesture the secretary, a combat veteran himself, said was meant to interact with the troops directly and hear about their missions, rather than solely communicating through four-star generals. 

Taking questions from reporters afterward, Hegseth, who has vowed to restore the "warrior ethos" at the Pentagon, addressed how Trump has called on NATO members to spend 5% of their GDPs on defense. Asked if the U.S. should also spend that amount, Hegseth said he and Trump share the view that U.S. defense spending should not go below 3% GDP, adding that the current administration ought to spend more than the Biden administration. 

HEGSETH SAYS FORT BRAGG IS COMING BACK, BUT WITH A TWIST

Hegseth accused the Biden administration of having "historically underinvested in the capabilities of our military," adding that Trump is committed to "rebuilding America's military by investing." 

Asked if he expects Elon Musk to start unilaterally slashing defense programs, Hegseth described the DOGE leader as a "great patriot interested in advancing the America First agenda" who knows "Trump got 77 million votes in a mandate from the American people, and part of that is bringing actual businesslike efficiency to government." Hegseth spoke of a "partnership" with DOGE to reduce Pentagon waste, agreeing with Musk's assessment that it could be to the tune of "billions" of dollars. 

But the secretary stressed that spending at the Pentagon did not equate to the "globalist agendas" pursued by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). 

"As I said on social media, we welcome Doge to the Pentagon," Hegseth said. "And I hope to welcome Elon to the Pentagon very soon. And his team working in collaboration with us." 

Hegseth said, "There are waste redundancies and headcounts in headquarters that need to be addressed. There's just no doubt. Look at a lot of the climate programs that have been pursued at the Defense Department. The Defense Department is not in the business of climate change, solving the global thermostat. We're in the business of deterring and winning wars. So things like that." 

NOEM, HEGSETH, BONDI PLEAD WITH CONGRESS FOR MORE BORDER FUNDING AMID LARGE-SCALE DEPORTATIONS

"There's plenty of places where we want the keen eye of DOGE, but we'll do it in coordination," he added, pointing to potential changes in weapons procurement programs as well. "We're not going to do things that are to the detriment of American operational or tactical capabilities… President Trump is committed to delivering the best possible military." 

"The Defense Department is not USAID," Hegseth said. "USAID has got a lot of problems that I talked about with the troops – pursuing globalist agendas that don't have a connection to America First. That's not the Defense Department. But we're also not perfect either. So where we can find billions of dollars, and he's right to say billions inside the Defense Department, every dollar we save, there is a dollar that goes to warfighters. And that's good for the American people." 

Hegseth was also asked if there were plans to shift U.S. forces from Europe to the Indo-Pacific to focus on the Chinese threat. 

"There are no plans right now in the making to cut anything," Hegseth said. "There is an understanding that we're going to review force posture across the world." 

"President Trump's planning assumptions are different in many ways, or at least strategic assumptions, than Joe Biden's," he said. "We certainly don't want a plan on the back of the withdrawal from Afghanistan. And what happened on October 7th and the war that was unleashed in Ukraine. You have to manage and mitigate those things by coming alongside your friends in Israel and sharing their defense, and peacefully resolving the conflict in Ukraine. But those shouldn't define how we orient." 

On his decision to reverse Biden's 2023 renaming of Fort Liberty back to Fort Bragg, Hegseth said, "It means Bragg is back. It means the legacy of an institution that generations of Americans have mobilized through and served at is back." 

"I never called it Fort Liberty because it wasn't Fort Liberty. It's Fort Bragg. And so I was honored to be able to put my signature on that," Hegseth said. The North Carolina base’s original namesake was Gen. Braxton Bragg, a Confederate general, but Hegseth said it would now be named after Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, a World War II hero who earned the Silver Star and the Purple Heart for his courage during the Battle of the Bulge.

LGBT activists and groups are already mobilizing to block gender-related executive orders President Donald Trump signed since taking office to fulfill one of his key campaign promises to crack down on "gender ideology extremism." And more legal challenges are expected in the coming weeks.

The executive orders, signed in late January, include a reinstatement of the ban on transgender troops in the military, a ban on federal funding for sex changes for minors and a directive requiring federal agencies to recognize only "two sexes," male and female, in official standard of conduct.

"This ban betrays fundamental American values of equal opportunity and judging people on their merit," Jennifer Levi, director of Transgender and Queer Rights at GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law), said in a statement about the trans military ban. 

"It slams the door on qualified patriots who meet every standard and want nothing more than to serve their country, simply to appease a political agenda."

TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDERS BANNING 'RADICAL GENDER IDEOLOGY,' DEI INITIATIVES IN THE MILITARY

GLAD Law and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), were among the first groups to file a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration for its military ban. The lawsuit, Talbott v. Trump, was brought forward on equal protection grounds by six active-duty service members and two individuals attempting to enlist, according to the groups' announcement.

The plaintiffs include a Sailor of the Year honoree, a Bronze Star recipient and several who were awarded meritorious service medals. They were identified as U.S. Army Reservist Lt. Nicolas Talbott, Army Maj. Erica Vandal, Army Sgt. First Class Kate Cole, Army Capt. Gordon Herrero, Navy Ensign Dany Danridge, Air Force Master Sgt. Jamie Hash, Koda Nature and Cael Neary. The latter two are civilians who are seeking to enlist in the military.

DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH SAYS 'NO MORE DEI AT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE': 'NO EXCEPTIONS'

Another lawsuit, filed by a transgender inmate receiving taxpayer-funded medical treatments, is challenging Trump's executive order that ends medical transgender treatments – such as hormones, sex changes and grooming accommodations – for federal prisoners.

The unnamed inmate, who goes by "Maria Moe" in court documents and is represented by GLAD Law, NCLR and Lowenstein Sandler LLP, is claiming Trump and the Bureau of Prisons are violating the Fifth and Eighth amendments and claims to be "at imminent risk of losing access to the medical care she needs to treat her gender dysphoria."

U.S. District Judge George O’Toole in Boston temporarily blocked BOP officials from transferring "Maria Moe" to a men's prison, according to a ruling released by the inmate's attorney Thursday. The temporary restraining order was issued Sunday, the same day the suit was filed.

Prison officials are expected to keep the inmate in the women's prison general population and maintain her transgender medical treatments, NBC first reported. 

CRACKING DOWN ON TRANS TROOPS: TRUMP ORDER NIXES PREFERRED PRONOUNS, RESTRICTS FACILITY USE

Multiple lawsuits have been filed against Trump's other executive orders, too, especially Trump's immigration-related policies. More are expected in the coming weeks. 

A memo released Wednesday by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management provided guidance on directing federal agencies to acknowledge that women are biologically female and men are biologically male, Reuters reported. Trump said last week federal funds would not be used to promote "gender ideology." 

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the litigation but did not hear back before publication.

Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano contributed to this report. 

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrived for his first day at the Pentagon on Monday with a message regarding the Department of Defense's (DOD's) mission. 

Greeted by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. and a gaggle of reporters, Hegseth said it was "an honor to serve on behalf of the president and serve on behalf of the country," adding, "The warfighters are ready to go." 

Hegseth quickly turned to the border crisis, acknowledging how President Donald Trump was "hitting the ground running" with executive orders declaring an emergency at the southern border and designating cartels foreign terrorist organizations. Hegseth said the DOD "snapped to" last week in sending more troops to aid in erecting barriers along the southern border, as well as to "ensure mass deportations," adding: "That is something the Defense Department absolutely will continue to do." 

"He's made it very clear. There is an emergency at the border," Hegseth said. "The protection of the sovereign territory of the United States is the job of the Defense Department." 

DEFENSE SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH SAYS 'NO MORE DEI AT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE': 'NO EXCEPTIONS'

Last week, the Defense Department announced 1,500 active-duty service members and "additional air and intelligence assets" were being sent to the southern border "to augment troops already conducting enforcement operations in that region."

When asked if more troops would be deployed to the border now that he is taking the helm, Hegseth said, "Whatever is needed at the border will be provided. Whether that is through state active duty, Title 32 or Title 10, because we are reorienting." 

"This is a shift. This is not the way things have been done in the past," Hegseth said. "The Defense Department will support the defense of the territorial integrity of the United States at the southern border to include reservists, National Guard and active duty with compliance with the Constitution, the laws of our land, and the directives of the commander in chief." 

Hegseth, a combat veteran who deployed to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, Iraq and Afghanistan, said he anticipated more executive orders from the White House later Monday. Those would include orders to remove diversity, equity and inclusion inside the Pentagon, reinstate troops who were "pushed out" over COVID-19 vaccine mandates and to implement the construction of an "Iron Dome for America," Hegseth told reporters, vowing to comply with Trump's directives "rapidly and quickly." 

"Every moment I am here I am thinking about the guys and gals in Guam, in Germany, in Fort Benning, in Fort Bragg, on missile defense sites and aircraft carriers," Hegseth said. "Our job is lethality and readiness and warfighting." 

TRUMP TO REINSTATE SERVICE MEMBERS DISCHARGED FOR NOT GETTING COVID-19 VACCINE

"We hold people accountable. I know the chairman agrees with that," Hegseth, who most recently was a Fox News host before Trump nominated him to lead the Defense Department, continued. "The lawful orders of the President of the United States will be executed in this Defense Department swiftly and without excuse. We will be no better friend to our allies and no stronger adversary for those who want to test us and try us." 

When asked about a wristband he was wearing, Hegseth said he wore it every day to remember Jorge Oliveira, a soldier he served with in Guantánamo Bay when he was a platoon leader. Oliveira was later killed in Afghanistan while Hegseth was there in a separate unit. 

"It's these guys that we do this for. Those who have given the ultimate sacrifice," Hegseth said. 

The secretary was also asked about assistance for Afghans who worked with the U.S. government. Last week, Trump issued an executive order pausing all U.S. foreign development aid for 90 days pending an assessment into whether the funds align with his administration's foreign policy. Reuters reported that flights for approximately 40,000 Afghans who were approved for special visas following former President Joe Biden's botched withdrawal have been suspended as a result. 

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"We are going to make sure there is accountability for what happened in Afghanistan, and we stand by our allies," Hegseth said. 

Pete Hegseth was sworn in as defense secretary Saturday morning, declaring it an "honor of a lifetime," and he promised to put America first by bringing peace through strength. 

Hegseth, 44, a former Minnesota National Guard officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, secured the role to lead the Pentagon following weeks of intense political drama surrounding his nomination and public scrutiny into his personal life. 

"All praise and glory to God. His will be done and we're grateful to be here," an ecstatic Hegseth said after taking the oath of office, surrounded by his wife Jenny and children.

PETE HEGSETH CONFIRMED TO LEAD PENTAGON AFTER VP VANCE CASTS TIE-BREAKING VOTE

"And as I said in my hearing, it was Jesus and Jenny. I would not be here without you, sweetheart. Thank you so much."

"I want to thank the President of the United States, our commander-in-chief, Donald Trump. We could not have a better commander-in-chief than him. It is the honor of a lifetime, sir, to serve under you. We look forward to having the backs of our troops and having your back in executing peace through strength, in putting America first and in rebuilding our military."

Hegseth, a former Fox News host, also thanked Vice President JD Vance, who oversaw the swearing-in ceremony and whose deciding vote on Friday got his nomination over the line. 

The Senate was deadlocked at 50-50 with three Republicans — Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. — joining the Democrats in opposing Hegseth's confirmation.

The stalemate forced Vance to cast the tie-breaking vote, securing his confirmation.

"It's not the first time the headline reads, ‘Junior enlisted marine bails out junior Army officer,'" Hegseth joked to laughter from attendees. 

Republicans React To Pete Hegseth's Confirmation As Defense Secretary: 'He Is The Change Agent'

Vance, the first vice president to have served as a Marine, was a combat correspondent from 2003 to 2007, including a tour in Iraq, before transitioning to civilian life and attending Ohio State University. 

Trump congratulated Hegseth on Truth Social on Friday and said he "will make a great" defense secretary. Other Republicans praised his confirmation, predicting he will bring transformative change to the Pentagon.

Hegseth went on to praise veterans and those who served alongside him in the past, as well as the 1.3 million active-duty service members and the nearly 1 million civilians who work for the military which he now leads.

"The first thing that goes through my head are the guys that I served with on the battlefield, the men and women who I locked shields with, who put my life on the line with, who never get the spotlight, who never had the cameras, who people don't know what they did in dark and dangerous places," Hegseth said. 

"At the Pentagon, we're going to remember, and we're going to think about those warriors with every single decision that we make."

"We will put America first. We will bring peace through strength."

He outlined three principles that he said he will bring to the Pentagon. 

"Restore the warrior ethos in everything that we do, rebuild our military and reestablish deterrence. We don't want to fight wars, we want to deter them," Hegseth said.

"We want to end them responsibly but if we need to fight them, we're going to bring overwhelming and decisive force to close with and destroy the enemy and bring our boys home. And to my other family that's here as well, who I love, it's the honor of a lifetime."

Shortly after he was sworn in, Hegseth released a statement via the defense department website addressing members of the Pentagon. The statement addressed his three principles.

"All of this will be done with a focus on lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards and readiness," the statement reads. 
 
"I have committed my life to warfighters and their families. Just as my fellow soldiers had my back on the battlefield, know that I will always have your back. We serve together at a dangerous time. Our enemies will neither rest nor relent. And neither will we. We will stand shoulder to shoulder to meet the urgency of this moment."
 
"Like each of you, I love my country and swore an oath to defend the Constitution. We will do that each and every day, as one team. Together, we will accomplish the President’s mission to deter war and, if necessary, defeat and destroy our enemies. Godspeed!"

Fox News’ Landon Mion contributed to this report. 

Republican lawmakers celebrated after the Senate narrowly confirmed Pete Hegseth as defense secretary on Friday.

The Senate was split 50-50, with three Republicans — Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. — joining the Democrats in opposing Hegseth's confirmation, forcing Vice President JD Vance to cast the tie-breaking vote.

After Hegseth was confirmed, GOP lawmakers praised him as a "change agent" who has a "passion for the warfighter."

"Pete has served in the Army National Guard as a front line officer, and he has a keen intellect and a passion for the warfighter," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., wrote on the social media platform X.

PETE HEGSETH CONFIRMED TO LEAD PENTAGON AFTER VP VANCE CASTS TIE-BREAKING VOTE

"He did an excellent job during a very contentious hearing and withstood all the attacks that came his way," Graham added. "He is bullish on creating a larger, more lethal military and is clear-eyed about America’s enemies, including Iran. Israel will have no better friend than Pete Hegseth."

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said he was "proud to vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense."

"He is the change agent that the DOD desperately needs," Cruz said.

Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin said: "We did it, America."

"It was an honor to be in the fight with my friend, and your SecDef: @PeteHegseth," he wrote. "The Hegseth family is the best!!"

"Heck yeah! @PeteHegseth is the man for the job," Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said. "I’m honored to have voted for him. We just confirmed him as the next defense secretary."

Sen. Roger Marshall wrote: "Congratulations to @PeteHegseth, our new Secretary of Defense! Pete will bring transformative change, refocusing our military on lethality and recruiting efforts. I can’t wait to see what a great job he will do."

"Pete Hegseth is the perfect fit to make our military great again and achieve peace through strength," Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., wrote. "It was an honor to support his nomination, and I look forward to seeing him restore trust in the Department of Defense by prioritizing war fighters over bureaucrats."

MCCONNELL VOTED NO ON HEGSETH AS PENTAGON HEAD, FORCING VANCE TO CAST TIEBREAKER

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., congratulated Hegseth on his confirmation and said that "Every brave service member and every American is safer with you leading the Pentagon. American strength is BACK!"

"Congratulations to our NEW secretary of defense," Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said.

Democrats, meanwhile, questioned Hegseth's credentials to lead the Pentagon ahead of his confirmation.

"Is Pete Hegseth—who failed to manage the finances of veterans’ nonprofit groups, who drove his organizations into debt to the point where he could not even pay creditors—really the person Republicans want in charge of the Pentagon’s budget?" Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote on X before the vote.

Schumer also asked: "Is Pete Hegseth really the best Republicans have to lead the greatest military in the world?"

"Our troops deserve better than someone as erratic and unqualified as Pete Hegseth," he added.

Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said: "We deserve a Secretary of Defense with solid experience, sound judgment, and good character. Pete Hegseth does not meet the test."

Hegseth, a former Fox News host, had faced questions ahead of his confirmation over his infidelity, allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking, his previous comments opposing women serving in combat roles in the military and his leadership abilities.

Married three times, Hegseth has admitted he was a "serial cheater" before he became a Christian and married his current wife, Jenny. He also originally said he opposed women in combat, before later saying that he only opposes standards for women in combat that are different from those for men. Hegseth has additionally denied the sexual assault allegations and has said he would abstain from alcohol as defense secretary. 

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was one of three Republicans to vote on Friday against Pete Hegseth, who was narrowly confirmed as defense secretary in the new Trump administration.

The other Republican "no" votes came from moderates Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, forcing Vice President JD Vance to break the 50-50 tie to confirm President Donald Trump's choice to lead the Pentagon.

"The most consequential cabinet official in any Administration is the Secretary of Defense," McConnell wrote, explaining his opposition to Hegseth. "In the face of the gravest threats to U.S. national security interests since World War II, this position is even more important today."

"Major adversaries are working closer together to undermine U.S. interests around the world," he said. "And America’s military capabilities and defense industrial capacity are increasingly insufficient to deter or prevail in major conflict with China or Russia, especially given the real risk of simultaneous challenges from other adversaries like Iran or North Korea."

PETE HEGSETH CONFIRMED TO LEAD PENTAGON AFTER VP VANCE CASTS TIE-BREAKING VOTE

Hegseth, a former Fox News host, had faced questions ahead of his confirmation over his infidelity, allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking, his previous comments opposing women serving in combat roles in the military and his leadership abilities.

Married three times, Hegseth has admitted he was a "serial cheater" before he became a Christian and married his current wife, Jenny. He also originally said he opposed women in combat, before later saying that he only opposes standards for women in combat that are different from those for men. Hegseth has additionally denied the sexual assault allegations and has said he would abstain from alcohol as defense secretary. 

McConnell said "dust on boots" in reference to Hegseth's military service "fails even to distinguish this nominee from multiple predecessors of the last decade. Nor is it a precondition for success. Secretaries with distinguished combat experience and time in the trenches have failed at the job."

"Effective management of nearly 3 million military and civilian personnel, an annual budget of nearly $1 trillion, and alliances and partnerships around the world is a daily test with staggering consequences for the security of the American people and our global interests," the senator said. "Mr. Hegseth has failed, as yet, to demonstrate that he will pass this test. But as he assumes office, the consequences of failure are as high as they have ever been."

MODERATE REPUBLICAN MURKOWSKI WON'T BACK TRUMP PICK HEGSETH FOR DEFENSE SECRETARY

McConnell stressed that Hegseth, in his testimony before the Armed Services Committee, "did not reckon with this reality" that the U.S. "faces coordinated aggression from adversaries bent on shattering the order underpinning American security and prosperity."

"President Trump has rightly called on NATO allies to spend more on our collective defense. But the nominee who would have been responsible for leading that effort wouldn’t even commit to growing America’s defense investment beyond the low bar set by the Biden Administration’s budget requests," McConnell said.

The senator also said Hegseth's testimony lacked "substantial observations on how to defend Taiwan or the Philippines against a Chinese attack, or even whether he believes the United States should do so." McConnell said Hegseth failed "to articulate in any detail a strategic vision for dealing with the gravest long-term threat emanating" from China.

McConnell additionally noted a lack of "substantive discussion" of "countering our adversaries’ alignment with deeper alliance relationships and more extensive defense industrial cooperation of our own."

"This, of course, is due to change," McConnell said. "As the 29th Secretary of Defense, Mr. Hegseth will be immediately tested by ongoing conflicts caused by Russian aggression in Europe and Iranian-backed terror in the Middle East. He will have to grapple with an unfinished FY25 appropriations process that – without his intervention – risks further harming the readiness of our forces."

"By all accounts, brave young men and women join the military with the understanding that it is a meritocracy," he added. "This precious trust endures only as long as lawful civilian leadership upholds what must be a firewall between servicemembers and politics. The Biden Administration failed at this fundamental task. But the restoration of ‘warrior culture’ will not come from trading one set of culture warriors for another."

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, voted in favor of 19 out of 21 of former President Joe Biden's Cabinet nominees in 2021, a Fox News Digital analysis shows.

Murkowski voted against the confirmation of former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and did not vote on former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh's appointment.

She did vote in favor of Biden's Supreme Court nominee, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

SENATE CHAIRMAN CRITICIZES ‘ANONYMOUS SOURCES WITH ULTERIOR MOTIVES,’ STANDS BY HEGSETH NOMINATION

Alaska's senior senator is facing a barrage of attacks from President Donald Trump's supporters over her opposition to his nominee to lead the Department of Defense, Pete Hegseth.

"I commend Pete Hegseth’s service to our nation, including leading troops in combat and advocating for our veterans. However, these accomplishments do not alleviate my significant concerns regarding his nomination," Murkowski said in a lengthy statement posted to X this week.

She expressed concerns about his lack of relevant experience on Pentagon policy, as well as allegations that he mismanaged two veterans organizations he previously led, and accusations of sexual assault and excessive drinking – all of which Hegseth has denied.

"While the allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking do nothing to quiet my concerns, the past behaviors Mr. Hegseth has admitted to, including infidelity on multiple occasions, demonstrate a lack of judgment that is unbecoming of someone who would lead our armed forces," Murkowski wrote.

MODERATE REPUBLICAN MURKOWSKI WON'T BACK TRUMP PICK HEGSETH FOR DEFENSE SECRETARY

Among those who criticized her stance was Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., a former Navy SEAL. Van Orden targeted Murkowski for voting for Biden Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin over his leadership during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

"You voted for the two men responsible for the murder of these 13 heroes. The internet is forever, your time in office is not," Van Orden wrote on X, in reference to the service members killed during a suicide bombing in Kabul.

"I strongly encourage you to fire the staff that gave you this horrible advice and wrote your X post."

However, some on the right agree with Murkowski. One GOP lawmaker previously told Fox News Digital about Hegseth, "The military fired people who behaved like Hegseth. Him being [Defense Secretary] will cause issues with discipline."

Murkowski told Politico in 2020 that "all presidents have right to their Cabinet" but it was the Senate's responsibility to make sure those people "are good, qualified credible candidates."

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who is also opposing Hegseth, voted in favor of all of Biden's Cabinet nominees in 2021.

Fox News Digital reached out to Murkowski's office for comment.

A federal appeals court has delayed Friday's scheduled military court hearing where suspected 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-conspirators were expected to plead guilty as part of a deal negotiated with prosecutors. 

The pause, though welcomed by the many who opposed the plea deals, prolongs a decades-long crusade for justice by the victims' families. 

The plea deals, which would have three 9/11 terrorists avoid the death penalty and face life in prison, have drawn sharp outcry from the public and even prompted a dispute within the Biden administration to undo them. 

On New Year’s Eve, a military appeals court shot down Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's effort to block the deal between military prosecutors and defense lawyers, saying Austin did not have the power to cancel plea agreements.

Then, on Wednesday, the Department of Justice appealed that ruling. 

Specifically, the court opinion said the plea deals reached by military prosecutors and defense attorneys were valid and enforceable and that Austin exceeded his authority when he later tried to nullify them.

The defense now has until Jan. 17 to offer a full response to the Department of Justice's request to have the plea deals thrown out. Government prosecutors then have until Jan. 22 for a rebuttal, with possible oral arguments on the issue to follow. 

The plea deals, offered to Mohammed and two co-conspirators, were meant as a way to wrap up the quest for justice to those who have been waiting more than two decades to see the terrorists that killed their loved ones convicted. They would allow prosecutors to avoid going to trial.

But why did the government settle for a plea deal after 23 years of building a case in the first place? 

BIDEN ADMIN SENDS 11 GUANTANAMO DETAINEES TO OMAN FOR RESETTLEMENT

"I haven't spoken to a single person who thinks these plea deals were a good idea. Most people are horrified," said Brett Eagleson, president of 9/11 Justice. 

"It's our thought that this was rescinded in name only and like it was done right before the election. So, Austin was trying to save any attempts at sort of a political loss on this," said Eagleson.

In its appeal this week, the government says, "Respondents are charged with perpetrating the most egregious criminal act on American soil in modern history — the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

"The military commission judge intends to enforce pretrial plea agreements that will deprive the government and the American people of a public trial as to the respondents’ guilt and the possibility of capital punishment, despite the fact that the Secretary of Defense has lawfully withdrawn those agreements," the appeal said. "The harm to the government and the public will be irreparable once the judge accepts the pleas, which he is scheduled to do in hearings beginning on January 10, 2025."

The appeal also noted that once the military commission accepts the guilty pleas, there is likely no way to return to the status quo.

Defense lawyers for the suspected 9/11 perpetrators argued Austin’s attempts to throw out the plea deals that his own military negotiated and approved were the latest developments in the "fitful" and "negligent" mishandling of the case that has dragged on for more than two decades. 

If the plea deal is upheld, the architects of the attacks that killed 2,976, plus thousands more who died after inhaling toxic dust in rescue missions, will not be put to death for their crimes.

"You would think that the government has an opportunity to make right, and you would think that they would be salivating at the opportunity to bring us justice," Eagleson said. "Rather than doing that, they shroud everything in secrecy. They're rushing to get these plea deals done, and they're marching forward despite the objections of us.

"We want transparency. We want the discovery that's been produced. In this case, we want to know who are these guys they're talking to? On what grounds does our government think that these guys are guilty? Why can't they share that with us? It's been 23 years. You can't tell me that you need to protect national security sources and methods because, quite frankly, if we're using the same sources and methods that we were 23 years ago, we have bigger fish to fry." 

The government opted to try five men in one case instead of each individually. Mohammed is accused of masterminding the plot and proposing it to Usama bin Laden. Two others allegedly helped the hijackers with finances. 

In 2023, a medical panel concluded that Ramzi bin al-Shibh was not competent to stand trial and removed him from the case. Mohammed, Mustafa al-Hawsawi and Walid bin Attash, are all part of the plea agreement that will allow them to avoid the death penalty. One other will go to trial.  

"The military commission has really been a failure," said John Ryan, a retired agent on the FBI's joint terrorism task force in New York. 

TOP REPUBLICANS ROLL OUT BILL THAT WOULD UNDO 9/11 PLEA DEALS

Hundreds of people have been convicted of terrorism charges in the U.S. Ramzi Yousef, the perpetrator of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was convicted in 1997.

But the military commission’s 9/11 case has faced a revolving door of judges, who then each take time to get up to speed with the 400,000 pages and exhibits in the case. Col. Matthew N. McCall of the Air Force, the fourth judge to preside over hearings in the case, intends to retire in the first quarter of 2025 before any trial begins. 

McCall was assigned to the case in August 2021, and he held only two rounds of hearings before suspending the proceedings in March 2022 for plea negotiations. Another judge would have to get up to speed, and it could be another five to 10 years before a conviction, according to Ryan, who observed many of the hearings at Guantánamo. 

"You have parents and grandparents [of victims] that now are in their 80s, you know, and want to see justice in their lifetime," he said. 

"So, they would prefer to see the death penalty, but they’re sort of accepting the plea agreement here." 

In the 23 years it’s taken to go to trial, critical witnesses have died, while others have waning memories of that fateful day. 

For many years, the trial was delayed as the prosecution and the defense argued over whether some of the government’s best evidence, obtained under torture by the CIA, was permissible in court. The defense argued their clients had been conditioned to say anything that would please interrogators under this practice. 

Former Attorney General Eric Holder has blamed "political hacks" for preventing a U.S.-based trial and thereby leading to the plea deal. 

Years of proceedings in the untested military commissions system have led to countless delays. 

Holder in 2009 had wanted to try the men in the Manhattan court system and promised to seek the death penalty, but he faced swift opposition in Congress from lawmakers who opposed bringing the suspected terrorists onto U.S. soil. 

In 2013, Holder claimed Mohammed and his co-conspirators would be sitting on "death row as we speak" if the case had gone through the federal court system as he proposed. 

Ten years later, Attorney General William Barr also tried to bring the Guantánamo detainees to the U.S. for a trial in federal court in 2019. He wrote in his memoir that the military commission process had become a "hopeless mess." 

"The military can’t seem to get out of its own way and complete the trial," Barr wrote. He, too, ran into opposition from Republicans in Congress and then-President Trump. 

China has warned the U.S. that it is making "dangerous moves" by providing Taiwan with an additional $571 million in defense materials, which was authorized by President Biden on Saturday.

In addition to the $571 million approved by Biden, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Friday that $295 million in military sales had been approved for the self-ruled island of Taiwan.

The sales and assistance from the U.S. are intended to help Taiwan defend itself, and possibly deter China from launching an attack.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry released a statement urging the U.S. to stop arming Taiwan and to cease what it referred to as "dangerous moves that undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," according to a report from The Associated Press.

TRUMP CABINET PICKS DELIGHT TAIWAN, SEND STRONG SIGNAL TO CHINA

Biden’s approved $571 million in military assistance includes DoD materials and services along with military education and training for Taiwan. The funds are in addition to another $567 million that the president approved for the same purposes in September.

The $295 million in military sales includes about $265 million for about 300 tactical radio systems and $30 million for 16 gun mounts.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry said in a post on X that the two sales reaffirmed the U.S. government’s "commitment to our defense."

PHILIPPINES WARNS OF ‘RED LINE’ WITH BEIJING AMID HEIGHTENED TENSIONS IN SOUTH CHINA SEA

Earlier this month, Taiwan defense officials raised concerns about a substantial deployment of Chinese naval ships and military planes, saying the build-up could eventually lead to war as tensions continue to rise in the region.

Officials said China had sent about a dozen ships and 47 military planes to regional waters around the Taiwan Strait, as the nation braced for military drills following Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s recent overseas trip that included visits to Hawaii and Guam, an American territory.

Lai, who has been in office since May, spoke with U.S. congressional leaders by phone while in Guam. 

CHINESE MILITARY MAKES MASSIVE DEPLOYMENT AROUND TAIWAN TO SEND ‘VERY SIMPLE’ MESSAGE

Lai’s visit came weeks after the U.S. approved a potential $2 billion arms sale package to Taiwan, including the delivery of an advanced air defense missile system battle tested in Ukraine and radar systems. The potential package included three National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) and related equipment valued at up to $1.16 billion, according to the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.

The Chinese communist government has pledged to annex Taiwan, through military force if necessary, and sends ships and military planes near the island almost daily.

The U.S. has repeatedly signaled its support for Taiwan through military deals, operations and diplomatic interactions with Taiwanese officials.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

More than three weeks after dozens of mysterious drones began popping up in the New Jersey night sky, the public has still been offered no clear insight on what the phenomenon could be. 

Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., suggested the swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles could be from an Iranian "mothership." 

The Pentagon shot down his idea. 

"There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there’s no so-called mothership launching drones towards the United States," said Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh. She added there is "no evidence" to suggest the drones are "the work of a foreign adversary." 

"We aren’t being told the truth," Van Drew responded Thursday on Fox News. "They are dealing with the American public like we’re stupid."

While the Pentagon maintains that the drones are not foreign, the FBI has admitted it is "concerned" about how little the agency knows about them.

Asked if Americans are "at risk," Robert Wheeler, FBI assistant director of the Critical Incident Response Group, told Congress on Tuesday: "There is nothing that is known that would lead me to say that, but we just don't know. And that's the concerning part."

Asked on Thursday if they'd learned anything since then, the FBI suggested to Fox News Digital the phenomenon might not actually be drones. 

"We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus. The FBI, DHS (Department of Homeland Security) and our federal partners, in close coordination with the New Jersey State Police, continue to deploy personnel and technology to investigate this situation and confirm whether the reported drone flights are actually drones or are instead manned aircraft or otherwise inaccurate sightings," a spokesperson said. 

"We are supporting local law enforcement in New Jersey with numerous detection methods but have not corroborated any of the reported visual sightings with electronic detection. To the contrary, upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft, operating lawfully. There are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted air space."

In recent weeks, the drones have flown near sensitive sites, like a military research facility.

And if the drones aren’t foreign in origin, onlookers are left wondering why it’s taking U.S. agencies so long to figure out who is behind them. 

"What I can say is a lot of our detection systems, means of tracking and understanding, are so vastly undersized and radically out of date," Doug Birkey, executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, told Fox News Digital. 

"So it would not surprise me that we could still be out of sync with this and not understand at the level we should," he added. "After the Cold War, the notion of air defense really took a back burner." 

And Birkey remains unconvinced that the drones are not foreign in origin. 

"I don't think we can speak declaratively about the source, but obviously they seem of a certain sophistication, size and set of behaviors that would suggest high potential of being from an adversary source," he said. 

​​NEW JERSEY DRONE SIGHTINGS: MILITARY ANALYSTS BREAK DOWN NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS, DOUBT HOBBYISTS AT PLAY

"I think they are either using them for intel, imagery, etc., but they can also just be testing us to see what our responses are, to then help inform their strategies and their concepts of operation." 

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has insisted the drones do not pose a threat to public safety. The FBI is assisting local law enforcement in investigating and has called on the public for assistance through its tip line. 

It’s far from the first time unidentified drones have been seen flying near U.S. military installations. Last year, drones hovered near Langley Air Force Base for over two weeks, and their origin has still not been revealed. Before that, a Chinese spy balloon traversed the U.S., traipsing near military installations, for a week before being shot down off the East Coast. 

"There are seemingly few hard consequences [for the drones], and that is causing a very dangerous risk of escalation," said Birkey.

None of the New Jersey drones have been shot down or had their systems jammed by U.S. officials. The drones that hovered near Langley were not intercepted, either. 

"Whoever is flying these drones does not necessarily care about their relationship with Federal Aviation Administration, the FAA, because clearly they’re breaking almost every rule the FAA has in place for safe drone flying," said Pramod Abichandani, associate professor at NJIT’s School of Applied Engineering and a drone expert. 

"These drones are flying at night, over populated areas, flying around in a group, whether they’re being programmed as a swarm of drones or not," he said. "All of those things are not permitted freely by the FAA."

In military settings, officers use "swarms" of drones to attack enemies to make it harder for them to shoot the drones down. 

The drones are "six feet in diameter," fly in a coordinated way with their lights off and "appear to avoid detection by traditional methods," according to New Jersey state Rep. Dawn Fantasia, who relayed a briefing given by law enforcement. 

MYSTERIOUS DRONE SIGHTINGS CONTINUE TO BE REPORTED IN NEW JERSEY WITHOUT ANSWERS

The drones were first spotted on Nov. 18, and have been spotted every night since, flying from dusk to about 11 p.m. Reports have ranged from four to 180 sightings per night. 

"We know nothing. Period. To state that there is no known or credible threat is incredibly misleading, and I informed all officials of that sentiment," she said. 

"At this point, I believe military intervention is the only path forward. There will be no answers in the absence of proactivity."

U.S. Northern Command, the military command center in charge of defending the U.S. homeland, said it had not yet been asked to step in and help. 

"We are aware and monitoring the reports of unauthorized drone flights in the vicinity of military installations in New Jersey, to include Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle, and we refer you to those installations for information on any efforts they may be conducting to ensure the safety and security of their personnel and operations," a U.S. Nothern Command spokesperson told Fox News Digital.