Defense Secretary-designate Pete Hegseth "improved his standing and did very well today," a source close to the confirmation tells The Post following Tuesday's hearing.

Last month, The Post reported that "zero" GOP senators were going to oppose Hegseth, despite allegations of sexual misconduct, binge drinking and mismanagement of two veteran-focused non-profits where he held a leadership role.

A committee vote on Hegseth's nomination is expected to take place next week, with a final vote by the full Senate set for a later date.

A note about the bracelet Hegseth wore on his left wrist during his confirmation hearing today.

It honors New Jersey Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Jorge M. Oliveira, who died in Afghanistan in 2011 when his unit was hit by an IED.

In addition to his military service Oliveira was also a detective with the Essex County, NJ, Sheriff's Office.

The Trump-Vance transition team has wasted little time claiming victory for Defense Secretary-designate Pete Hegseth following today's hearing.

"Today, in his confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services, Pete Hegseth showed the American people why President Trump nominated him as our next Secretary of Defense," spokesman Jake Schneider said in a statement.

"Despite disgusting and unhinged lines of questioning from committee Democrats, Hegseth's intellect, passion, professionalism, and love of country were on full display."

New York radio icon Mike Francesa has weighed in on today's proceedings.

"If you watch the hearings on Capitol Hill today you know why nothing gets done in Washington. A real disgrace!" the former "Mike and the Mad Dog" co-host and longtime WFAN staple posted on X about an hour ago.

Francesa rarely weighs in on politics, but ribbed the president-elect on an episode of his eponymous podcast following the Nov. 5 election.

"If you noticed last night, all of a sudden, as soon as he took the lead, there were no accusations about any (fraud)," the man dubbed "The Sports Pope" said. "It’s amazing how secure the election became as soon as the numbers went the right way."

The Senate Armed Services Committee concluded its hearing with Defense Secretary-designate Pete Hegseth a little before 2 p.m. after one round of questioning from senators.

"I want to thank the witnesses and their families," Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said before gaveling out. "This hearing is adjourned."

Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), a former Navy SEAL, conducted a rapid-fire round of questioning to conclude the hearing.

"Pete, I'm actually going to ask you questions because I want to hear your answer," Sheehy said. "How many genders are there? Tough one."

"Senator, there are two genders," Hegseth responded.

"I know that well -- I'm a Sheehy, so I'm on board," the Montana Republican joked.

"How many push-ups can you do?" Sheehy also asked.

"I did five sets of 47 this morning," Hegseth replied.

"What do you think our most important strategic base is in the Pacific?" Sheehy quizzed.

"Guam is pretty significant," Hegseth answered.

Newly elected Sen. Elissa Slotkin asked Pete Hegseth whether he would "push back" if he were "given an illegal order" -- such as deploying regular active-duty troops to handle civil unrest.

"[Former Defense] Secretary Mark Esper was asked and did use uniformed military to clear unarmed protesters," Slotkin (D-Mich.) recounted. "He later apologized publicly for those actions. Was he right or wrong to apologize?"

"I'm not going to put words in the mouth of Secretary Esper," Hegseth answered in sidestepping the question.

"What are you scared of?" Slotkin pressed.

"I'm not scared of anything, senator," he fired back.

"If Donald Trump asked you to use the 82nd Airborne in law enforcement roles in Washington, DC, would you also convince him otherwise?" she asked.

"I'm not going to get ahead of conversations I would have with the president," he answered. "However, there are laws and processes inside our Constitution that would be followed."

Asked later whether he supported using active-duty military against the "enemy within," Hegseth also dodged, saying: "Senator, I'm glad we finally got to the topic of border security equaling national security."

"That wasn't my question," she countered, before asking: "Will you ask the active duty to staff detention centers?"

"Everything we will do will be lawful and under the Constitution."

'I'm going to take that as a 'Yes,'" Slotkin replied.

Asked about several Biden administration officials' defense of the botched Afghanistan withdrawal of 2021, Pete Hegseth called the testimony of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and others "shameful."

"They still tout it as the most successful airlift in American history," he declared, calling it an "utter failure" that led to the "detriment of our reputation."

Hegseth also claimed that the Afghanistan fiasco led to both Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 22, 2022, and the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas in Israel.

"No one else involved has ever taken accountability for it," he said of the pullout from Kabul, during which 13 American service members were killed in an ISIS-K suicide attack.

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), who served decades in the US Navy before retiring at the rank of captain, fired off a series of allegations about Hegseth's purported binge drinking and sexual impropriety, asking whether each accusation was "true or false."

"Anonymous smears," Hegseth said to each, pausing when asked whether he took employees of one of the vet groups he helmed to a Louisiana strip club in 2014.

"Absolutely not, anonymous smears," the Pentagon pick finally said again.

Asked whether the vet organization reached a settlement with a female staffer who filed a sexual harassment complaint afterward, Hegseth added: "Senator, I was not involved in that. I don't know the nature of how that played out."

"The overwhelming majority who's worked for me," he added, "testify to my leadership and professionalism."

"You admittedly had issues with heavy drinking. It's hard to kind of square this," Kelly said later, asking: "Have you overcome personal issues or are you the target of a smear campaign? It can't be both."

"It's clear to me that you're not being honest with us or the American people because you know the truth would disqualify you from getting the job."

Pete Hegseth’s tattoo of a Jerusalem cross that led the National Guard to label him as an extremist is the same symbol prominently displayed at former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral last week, the defense secretary nominee pointed out.

When asked facetiously by Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) “what this very offensive, extremist, racist tattoo” was, Hegseth explained that the cross is “a historic, Christian symbol.”

”In fact, interestingly, recently I attended, briefly, the memorial ceremony for former President Jimmy Carter," he noted. "On the floor of our National Cathedral ... was the very same Jerusalem cross.”

Hegseth said the National Guard revoked his orders to protect President Biden’s inauguration over the discovery of the tattoo on the right side of his chest.

Defense Secretary-designate Pete Hegseth vowed to reinstate all troops kicked out of their service branches for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

"During the COVID hysteria," Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) said, "8,000 well-trained men and women were fired. Will you commit today, Mr. Hegseth, to recruit these folks back, to give them back pay and give them an apology?"

"Not only will they be reinstated," Hegseth answered. "They will receive an apology, back pay and rank that they lost because they were forced out due to an experimental vaccine."