The U.S. Senate has confirmed Pete Hegseth as the head of the Pentagon, with assistance from the Vice President.

The U.S. Senate has confirmed Pete Hegseth as the new Secretary of Defense. The decisive factor in the vote was the support from Vice President Jay D. Vance.

This was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing The New York Times.

Hegseth's nomination, which was previously put forward by Donald Trump for the position of head of the Pentagon, did not receive backing from a significant number of senators.

In particular, Democrats criticized the congressman, veteran, and Fox News host for his lack of qualifications, deeming him unfit to manage troops and the nearly $850 billion budget of the U.S. Department of Defense.

As a result, during the Senate vote on Friday, the votes for Hegseth's confirmation as Secretary of Defense were split 50 to 50 (three Republicans joined the Democrats in opposition).

Ultimately, Vice President J.D. Vance exercised his ability to provide a "tie-breaking" vote, making Hegseth the new head of the Pentagon. According to U.S. law, in the event of a tie among senators, the Vice President casts the deciding vote.

Hegseth himself has stated that he will bring a "warrior spirit" to the U.S. Department of Defense.

It is noteworthy that according to Senate data, the final vote count of 51 to 50 marked the narrowest margin for confirming a Secretary of Defense since the position was established in 1947.

What is known about Pete Hegseth

44-year-old Peter Brian Hegseth is a veteran of the U.S. Army and an officer in the National Guard. He has served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He holds a bachelor's degree from Princeton and a master's degree from Harvard.

He is a co-host of "Fox & Friends Weekends" and has authored the books "American Crusade" (2020) and "Warriors and Warriors" (2024). Previously, he was the executive director of Vets for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America.

In 2012, Hegseth ran for the Senate as a Republican, competing against Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota. However, he withdrew from the race in May after the state convention. At that time, Republican Kurt Bills won the primary but ultimately lost in the general election.

Reports indicate that Hegseth previously convinced Trump to pardon three American soldiers accused or convicted of war crimes related to shootings of non-combatants in Iraq.

Hegseth was also considered for the position of Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Trump's first administration.

It was also reported that Trump's proposal to nominate Hegseth as head of the Pentagon shocked Washington. Additionally, according to media reports, Trump was considering other candidates for the position of Secretary of Defense.

Recently, CNN reported that Hegseth paid $50,000 to a woman who claimed he harassed her. Western media noted that such a payment allegedly occurred as part of a confidentiality agreement with the victim.

To learn more about Hegseth, check out the separate article by RBK-Ukraine.