President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, vowed on Tuesday to foster a “warrior culture” at the Pentagon and portrayed himself as a “change agent” during his Senate confirmation hearing, drawing attention from protesters. Also supported the veterans.
Hegseth did not initially address the allegations of sexual harassment, excessive drinking or his derisive views on women and minorities in war, as senators determined whether the veteran and TV news show host was suitable to lead the U.S. military or No. Instead, he focused on his combat experience in the Army National Guard.
In his opening remarks, Hegseth said, “It’s time to hand over power to someone who’s got dust on his boots. A change agent.”
“This is not academic,” he declared, wearing a pocket square of the American flag on his suit coat. “This is my life.”
When asked directly about the sexual harassment allegation, Hegseth dismissed it as a “smear campaign” and an unfair attack. But he did not specifically address any of the allegations, or tell senators that he did not drink alcohol or harass women.
Senators immediately began considering questions involving Hegseth, with the Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee acknowledging the “unorthodox” choice and top Democrats warning of the “deeply troubling” allegations against him.
Chairman Senator Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, compared Hegseth to Trump himself, calling various allegations against him baseless and saying he would “bring energy and new ideas to shake up the bureaucracy.”
But Senator Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island, said bluntly: “I do not believe you are qualified to meet the enormous demands of this job.”
Hegseth, 44, comes from a new generation of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, and his military experience is widely seen as an asset. But he also brings a shocking record of past actions and statements, including against women, minorities, and “woke” generals. He has vowed not to drink alcohol if he is confirmed to lead the Pentagon.
Trump supported his selection, saying Hegseth has “my full and complete support” in an early morning post.
The hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee is the beginning of a week-long marathon as senators begin investigating Trump’s picks for more than a dozen top administration posts.
Hegseth remains the most threatened of Trump’s Cabinet choices, but GOP aides are determined to turn him into a cause celebrity for Trump’s approach to governance amid the country’s culture wars. Outside groups, including those associated with the Heritage Foundation, are waging expensive campaigns to promote Hegseth’s bid.
In the audience were cadres of men dressed as veterans serving in the military or expressing support for the service, but also protesters who momentarily disrupted the proceedings but were escorted from the room.
Despite potential opposition from some on both sides of the aisle, the Republican-led Senate is set to confirm some of Trump’s picks as soon as Inauguration Day on Jan. 20. With a narrow GOP majority, he needs almost all Republicans to support Trump’s choice if Democrats oppose.
Hegseth faces perhaps the toughest path to confirmation yet. He was forced to confront allegations of sexual harassment, which he has denied, and his own comments that fell far outside the military mainstream.
When pressed on diversity initiatives in the military and opposition to women serving in combat roles, Hegseth agreed that the Army was “a pioneer in courageous racial integration.” But he argued that modern diversity and inclusion policies “divide” current troops and do not prioritize “meritocracy.”
And Hegseth had to answer for his comments that women should not be “straightforward” into combat roles in the military, a view he has softened after recent meetings with senators.
In a heated exchange, New York Democrat Senator Kirsten Gillibrand told Hegseth: “You have to change the way you view women to do this job.”
Gillibrand said of Hegseth’s comments: “They’re cruel, and they’re mean, and they disrespect the men and women” who fight for this country.
Hegseth was sometimes aggressive, and when Reed asked him to explain what a “jagoff” was, he scoffed. Only after further pressure from Reed did Hegseth say that it was a military lawyer, a JAG officer, who “put his priorities ahead of the war fighters.”
Many senators have not yet met Hegseth and most do not have access to his FBI background investigation, as only committee leaders were briefed on its findings. Reed said that Hegseth’s background check was “inadequate”. It did not investigate or produce any new information about him beyond what was already in the public domain, according to a person familiar with the situation who insisted on anonymity to discuss it.
In many ways, Hegseth’s hearings were following the template set during Trump’s first term, when one of his picks for Supreme Court justice, Brett Kavanaugh, came under intense scrutiny over sexual assault allegations, but He defeated his critics and won. Confirmation in High Court.
“He will be ripped apart. He will be vilified. He will be talked about,” Senator Tommy Tuberville, a Republican from Alabama, said at an event with former Navy SEALs, Army Special Forces and Marines supporting the nominee. “But we’re going to get him to the finish line.”
Hegseth was largely unknown on Capitol Hill when Trump chose him for the top Pentagon post.
Fox News Channel co-host Fox & Friends WeekendHe had been a contributor to the network since 2014 and apparently caught the attention of the president-elect, who is a particularly avid consumer of television and news channels.
Hegseth attended Princeton University and served in the Army National Guard from 2002 to 2021, deploying to Iraq in 2005 and Afghanistan in 2011 and earning two Bronze Stars. But he lacks senior military and national security experience.
In 2017, a woman told police that Hegseth sexually assaulted her, according to a detailed investigative report recently made public. Hegseth has denied any wrongdoing and told police at the time that the encounter at a Republican women’s event in California was consensual. He later paid the woman a confidential settlement to deal with a potential lawsuit.
If confirmed, Hegseth will lead the Army to address crises on the global stage and domestic challenges in military recruitment, retention and ongoing funding.
In addition to being the principal national security advisor to the President, the Secretary of Defense oversees a vast organization, consisting of approximately 2.1 million service members, approximately 780,000 civilians, and a budget of approximately $850 billion.
The secretary is responsible for thousands of U.S. troops deployed overseas and at sea, including in combat zones where they face attacks off Syria and in the waters around Iraq and Yemen. The Secretary makes all final recommendations to the President regarding which units are deployed, where they go, and how long they stay.
The Secretary’s main job is to ensure that the U.S. military is ready, trained, and equipped to meet any call of duty. But the secretary must also ensure American troops remain safe at home, with access to affordable housing, health care, pay, and support for programs to combat suicide, sexual assault and financial scams.
The Pentagon chief also regularly travels around the world, meeting with international leaders on a wide range of security issues, including U.S. military assistance, counterterrorism support, troop presence, and global alliance building. And they play a vital role in NATO as a vital partner to allies across the region.