The full Senate voted 51-49 on Thursday to advance Hegseth's nomination, paving the way for a final confirmation vote Friday.

A Princeton and Harvard-educated former combat veteran, Hegseth went on to make a career at Fox News, where he hosted a weekend show. Trump tapped him as the defense secretary to lead an organization with nearly 2.1 million service members, about 780,000 civilians and a budget of $850 billion.

The U.S. Senate narrowly voted on Thursday to advance the nomination of Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host and military veteran, to be President Donald Trump's secretary of defense, clearing the way for a vote on his confirmation later this week.