Pete Hegseth, whose tenure as secretary of defense has been mired in a series of events raising questions about his ability to lead the Department of Defense, defended his performance during an address to the U.S. Army War College on Wednesday.

“From Day One and each 100 of those days, our overriding objectives have been clear: restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military, and reestablishing deterrence,” he said. “Restoring the warrior ethos is one of the most fundamental of those three.”