By Mike Glenn – The Washington Times – Monday, January 27, 2025

Newly confirmed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Monday strode into the Pentagon, vowing that the military organization he now leads is fully on board with the policies of the Trump administration, particularly helping to restrict the flow of illegal immigrants into the country.

With Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, at his side, Mr. Hegseth said supporting the White House’s deportation efforts is “absolutely” a priority for the Defense Department.

“This is happening quickly, and as secretary of defense, it’s an honor to salute smartly — as I did as a junior officer and now the secretary of defense — to ensure these orders are complied with rapidly,” he said. “Lawful orders of the president of the United States will be executed swiftly and without excuse.”

He said new executive orders would soon be issued to reinstate service members thrown out of the military for refusing orders to take the COVID-19 vaccine and to purge materials related to “diversity, equality and inclusion” initiatives from the Defense Department.

“This is a shift. This is not the way business has been done in the past,” Mr. Hegseth said. “The Defense Department will support the defense of the territorial integrity of the United States of America at the southern border, to include reservists, National Guard, and active duty [personnel], in compliance with the Constitution [and] the laws of our land.”

The new Pentagon chief showed reporters a metal band on his wrist honoring Jorge M. Oliveira, a soldier he served with at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba who was later killed in Afghanistan.

“It’s for these guys we do this for, those who have given the ultimate sacrifice,” Mr. Hegseth said. “Every moment that I’m here, I’m thinking about the guys and gals in Guam, Germany, Fort Benning, and Fort Bragg, on missile defense sites and aircraft carriers. Our job is lethality and readiness and war-fighting.”

Notably, Mr. Hegseth referenced the prior names for the two Army posts originally named for Confederate generals that were changed during the Biden administration to Fort Moore and Fort Liberty.