Washington (AP) In the midst of high-profile accusations of excessive drinking and sexual assault, Pete Hegseth has spent the week on Capitol Hill attempting to reassure Republican senators that he is qualified to oversee President-elect Donald Trump’s Department of Defense.
However, Hegseth’s repeated remarks that women shouldn’t work in combat roles on the front lines of the military have also drawn criticism from senators of all parties.
His professional views on women troops are coming under increased scrutiny as the former combat veteran and Army National Guard major tries to save his Cabinet nomination by meeting with senators for a fourth day on Thursday, promising not to drink while working and stating he has never engaged in sexual misconduct.
Sen. Kevin Cramers of North Dakota stated on Wednesday that during their one-on-one conversation, he questioned Hegseth about the matter.
In reference to two female senators who serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee and are also combat veterans, Cramer stated, “I told him, just so you know, Joni Ernst and Tammy Duckworth deserve a great deal of respect.”
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be defense secretary, responds to reporters during a meeting with Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Image courtesy of J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press
Hegseth has embraced Trump’s strategy of terminating woke programs that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the ranks, and the position of women in the military is another example of the far-right’s attempts to restore the military to a bygone period. Trump has threatened to fire generals he believes to be woke, and the DEI movement is facing criticism as he gets ready to return to the White House.
However, military and defense chiefs have vehemently disputed that the requirements were loosened to allow women to qualify, claiming that it would be morally wrong to remove half of the population from important combat positions.
During his speech on Wednesday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin praised the contributions of women, citing his own fighting units from his time as an Iraqi commander.
The only reason I get a little worked up over this is that it’s not 1950. 1948 is not the year. According to Austin, it is 2024.
Hegseth dismissed inquiries about his prior beliefs that women shouldn’t participate in combat positions as he traveled from office to office this week to meet with Republican senators.
Hegseth declared on Tuesday that our military has truly remarkable women who serve in it.
Hegseth responded that they already serve in battle when asked if they should.
However, that is a change from what he had previously said. Just last month, Hegseth stated unequivocally that women should not serve in combat situations.
It hasn’t increased our lethality. has made fighting more difficult, he claimed in a podcast prior to Trump’s nomination.
He has elaborated on ideas of a more masculine-focused military in his own works. In the Senate, those opinions are encountering cold opposition from both major parties.
Ernst of Iowa, a retired lieutenant colonel with over twenty years of service in the Army National Guard, was cautious following her meeting with Hegseth, stating merely that they had an open and in-depth discussion.
She told Fox News that a very thorough vetting is required, but she did not say if she would support his nomination on Thursday.
Ernst is a Republican who has advocated for women in the military and pushed to create a safe atmosphere for women in duty after publicly discussing how she survived sexual assault while in college.
Hegseth claimed that Trump is fully behind us and that his meeting with Ernst was fruitful on Thursday.
Hegseth claimed to be battling and prepared to go as he entered a meeting with South Dakota Senator Mike Roundson on Thursday.
“There is an incredible amount of knowledge in the Senate and on the Senate Armed Services committee,” Hegseth told reporters after meeting with Rounds in his office a little while later. “I welcome that knowledge, I welcome that advice.” We are here for that reason.
Duckworth and the other Democrats on the committee have not yet met with Hegseth. After 23 years in the Reserves, Duckworth, a Democrat and Purple Heart recipient, retired after rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. During the Iraq War, he piloted a Blackhawk chopper and lost both legs when it was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade. Later on, she worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs as an assistant secretary.
He informed Hegseth that his confirmation hearing would not be enjoyable because Democrats, in particular, would question him about his opinions, Cramer continued.
Even as rumors circulate regarding a potential alternative choice, such as erstwhile Trump opponent Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, to head the Pentagon, Trump seems to be stepping aside for the time being as Hegseth works to maintain his nomination.
Women make up around 17.5% of the more than 1.3 million active-duty service members, a number that has increased gradually over the previous 20 years. They have years of battle experience in a variety of military positions, such as intelligence officers and pilots.
Thousands of women have been employed in positions that were previously exclusively held by men since the Pentagon officially opened all combat positions to women in 2015, including frontline infantry and armor posts.
Nearly 4,800 women are now employed by the Army in infantry, armor, and artillery roles; over 150 have finished the Army Ranger training; and a small number have earned spots in more prestigious special operations units, such as the Army Green Berets.
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