Washington, 25 January 2025 (dpa/MIA) - The US Senate on Friday narrowly confirmed former Fox News host and combat veteran Pete Hegseth as secretary of defence, handing President Donald Trump a major political win as his second term in power takes shape.

US Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote in the Senate after three Republicans voted against Hegseth's appointment.

Hegseth, who was deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, was of Trump's most controversial Cabinet picks.

The success of his nomination had been in doubt due to a steady drip of claims about his personal life, including allegations of excessive alcohol consumption and spousal abuse. He was accused by a woman of sexual assault in 2017.

Hegseth has denied all of the allegations. During his confirmation hearing last week, he called them a "coordinated smear campaign" by the media.

Apart from an unsuccessful bid for a US Senate seat in Minnesota in 2012, he has no political experience. Nor has he ever led an organization anywhere near the size of the US Defense Department, which has more than 3 million employees and is famous for its bureaucratic complexity.

Hegseth was mainly known in the US from his time at the Trump-friendly channel Fox News, where he co-hosted a weekend morning show.

At his Senate hearing, Hegseth pitched himself as a "change agent" who would foster a "warrior culture" at the Pentagon and roll back efforts aimed at racial and gender diversity. He pledged to help Trump pursue an "America first" foreign policy.

He was grilled by Democrats about earlier comments in which he said that women should not serve in combat roles. Hegseth told senators he supported women in combat as long as they met the same standards as men.

Despite the controversy that dogged his nomination, most Republicans defended Hegseth as an unconventional pick that could help shake up the Defense Department.

Most of Trump's Cabinet picks still remain in the confirmation process, although former Florida senator Marco Rubio has been confirmed as secretary of state and John Ratcliffe, Trump's former director of national intelligence, has been confirmed as head of the CIA.

Photo: Wikipedia