Gratitude for Support
Thank you for figuratively and literally having my back. Not only that, you are a Christian, which makes your support even more meaningful to me. I want to thank the authorities for their swift reaction to that outburst and state that similar interruptions will be treated in a like manner. Mr. Hegseth, you may continue.
Honored to Serve
Well, as I’ll say again, thank you for figuratively and literally having my back. I pledge to do the same for all of you. It’s an honor to come before this committee today as President Donald Trump’s nominee for the office of Secretary of Defense.
A Mandate for Change
Two months ago, 77 million Americans gave President Trump a powerful mandate for change to put America First at home and abroad. I want to thank President Trump for his faith in me and his selfless leadership for our Republic. The troops have no better commander-in-chief than Donald Trump.
The Charge from President Trump
As I’ve said to many of you in private meetings, when President Trump chose me for this position, the primary charge he gave me was to bring the warrior culture back to the Department of Defense. He, like me, wants a Pentagon laser-focused on lethality, meritocracy, warfighting, accountability, and readiness.
Commitment to Warfighting
Returning the Pentagon to warfighting—that’s it, that’s my job. Mr. Hegseth, suspend your remarks. Let me just say this: The Capitol Police are going to immediately remove individuals disrupting the hearing. I see a pattern attempted to be inflicted on the committee, and we simply are not going to tolerate that. You may proceed.
Restoring the Warrior Ethos
To bring back warfighting, if confirmed, I’m going to work with President Trump and this committee to restore the warrior ethos to the Pentagon and throughout our fighting force. In doing so, we will reestablish trust in our military, addressing the recruiting crisis, retention crisis, and readiness crisis in our ranks.
Strength in Unity
The strength of our military is our unity and our shared purpose, not our differences. We’re going to rebuild our military, always matching threats to capabilities. This includes reviving our defense industrial base and reforming the acquisitions process.
Modernizing the Defense Department
As you mentioned, Mr. Chairman, no more valley of death for new defense companies. We will modernize our nuclear triad, ensuring the Pentagon can pass an audit. We will make certain that every taxpayer dollar is spent effectively and efficiently.
Prepared for the Future
In conclusion, if confirmed, my focus will be on ensuring the Department of Defense is always prepared to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. I will work tirelessly to ensure our military remains the strongest and most capable fighting force in the world.