Pete Hegseth’s motorcade stirred a cloud of dust around dozens of troops and border agents waiting in the desert to greet the new defense secretary. It was his first visit to the U.S-Mexico border and the 30-foot steel border fence loomed tall behind him as he shook hands.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's first trip since taking office will be to the United States' border with Mexico on Monday, in the latest sign that fortifying the border will be a priority for the Pentagon under President Donald Trump.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited troops at the border in El Paso, Texas, where he pledged the Pentagon’s full support to Border Patrol in gaining “operational control” of the US-Mexico frontier.