Vice President Mike Pence has sworn in President Donald Trump's nominees to run the Pentagon and the Homeland Security Department.
Retired General James Mattis took the oath of office to be defense secretary. Retired General John Kelly took the oath to be homeland security secretary.
They were sworn in during a hastily arranged ceremony in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where the vice president's suite of offices is located.
Mattis has told military personnel and their families that his actions are aimed at making sure "our military is ready to fight today and in the future."
Mattis said in a statement that he recognises that "no nation is secure without friends" and is pledging to "work with the State Department to strengthen" the nation's alliances.
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He says the Pentagon is "devoted to gaining full value from every taxpayer dollar spent on defense, thereby earning the trust of Congress and the American people."
The statement was released just moments after Mattis was sworn in.
