
The Senate voted Friday to confirm former Fox News Channel host Pete Hegseth as the United States' next defense secretary, after allegations of sexual misconduct and other issues had dogged President Donald Trump's pick for the top Pentagon post.
The upper chamber approved Hegseth in a vote where Vice President J.D. Vance broke a 50-50 tie, clearing a hurdle to Trump's efforts to fill his Cabinet to forge ahead with his America First policy agenda.
In November, Trump tapped Hegseth, an Army veteran with tours in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan, to serve as his defense secretary, describing him as a "warrior for the troops and for the country."
During a confirmation hearing earlier this month, Hegseth described North Korea as a "nuclear power" that poses a threat to global stability, while highlighting the need for U.S. allies to increase "burden sharing" in pursuit of what he termed "healthy" partnerships.
Hegseth is the author of the recent book titled "The War on Warriors," which Trump said reveals "how we must return our Military to meritocracy, lethality, accountability, and excellence."
He had been a host at Fox News for eight years. He is a graduate of Princeton University and has a graduate degree from Harvard University. (Yonhap)