Pete Hegseth, the Army combat vet that President-elect Donald Trump has tapped to be defense secretary, passionately advocated for his appointment, declaring that it was time to “give someone with dust on his boots the helm” of the US military during his confirmation hearing Tuesday.

Hegseth, 44, vowed to “restore the warrior ethos to the Pentagon” and responded to criticism over his credentials — while admitting he is an unorthodox pick to head the Defense Department.

“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 said in his opening remarks. “He, like me, wants a Pentagon laser focused on warfighting, lethality, meritocracy, standards, and readiness. That’s it. That is my job.”

At least three hecklers interrupted the Pentagon pick during his opening statement, with one accusing Trump’s pick of being a “misogynist,” in apparent reference to his past comments against women serving in combat roles.

Hegseth also pledged to rebuild the US military — while still ensuring the Defense Department can pass its annual audit, which it hasn’t for at least seven years — and return to a policy of “real deterrence.”

“First and foremost, we will defend our homeland — our borders and our skies. Second, we will work with our partners and allies to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific from the communist Chinese,” he explained. “Finally, we will responsibly end wars to ensure we can prioritize our resources—and reorient to larger threats.”

“And in pursuing these America First national security goals, we will remain patriotically a-political and stridently constitutional,” he added. “Unlike the current administration, politics should play no part in military matters. We are not Republicans; we are not Democrats—we are American warriors.”

Hegseth was an Army ROTC cadet at Princeton University in the early 2000s and later deployed as an officer to combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan during his more than decade-long service in the military.

“It is true and it has been acknowledged that I don’t have a similar biography to Defense secretaries of the last 30 years,” Hegseth also said in his opening statement.

“But, as President Trump also told me, we’ve repeatedly placed people atop the Pentagon with supposedly ‘the right credentials’ — whether they are retired generals, academics or defense contractor executives — and where has it gotten us?” he asked.

“He believes, and I humbly agree, that it’s time to give someone with dust on his boots the helm. A change agent. Someone with no vested interest in certain companies or specific programs or approved narratives.”

Elsewhere in his opening speech, Hegseth — who argued his “only special interest is the warfighter” — also told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he’ll give “new defense companies” a better chance to win contracts and deploy emerging technologies when he takes the helm.

He further promised to “address the recruiting, retention and readiness crisis in our ranks,” the statement shows.

Hegseth previously served as the president of two veterans advocacy groups, and his tenure at both has drawn scrutiny from critics following allegations of binge-drinking and financial mismanagement.

Former senior advisers at Concerned Veterans for America, one of the groups, have called the accusations “insane” and vouched for Hegseth’s conduct and character.

“I’m incredibly proud of the work that we’ve done,” the nominee said.