Five lessons from the Pete Hegseth hearing

The Associated Press

Five takeaways from Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing 2 hours ago Holly Honderich in Washington Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick for defence secretary, cleared his first hurdle on the way to confirmation: a long – and at times tense – hearing before the Senate’s Armed Services Committee.
Democrats’ opposition in a closely divided Senate means that Hegseth can afford to lose only three Republican votes and still be confirmed.
As the hearing continued, Hegseth was critical of policies he felt harmed the efficiency and “lethality” of the military, namely efforts aimed at racial and gender diversity.
Women in the military In what became an expectedly partisan hearing, Democrats repeatedly grilled Hegseth on his past statements suggesting women were not suited to serve in combat roles in the military.
Hegseth remained composed, responding by saying his concern was not women in combat, but simply maintaining “standards” in the military.

POSITIVE

Here are five things to remember from Pete Hegseth’s confirmation hearing.

two hours prior.

Honderich, Holly.

in Washington. .

Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s choice for defense secretary, successfully completed a lengthy and occasionally tense hearing before the Senate’s Armed Services Committee, marking the first step toward confirmation.

Over four hours on Tuesday, Hegseth was questioned about his capacity to manage the Defense Department, which employs three million people and has a budget of $849 billion (£695 billion). The majority of Republicans on the committee seemed to support him despite the Democrats grilling him about allegations of infidelity, sexual assault, and workplace drinking.

Hegseth can afford to lose just three Republican votes and still be confirmed because of the opposition from Democrats in a Senate that is evenly split.

These are the five key points that can be drawn from Hegseth’s testimony.

A “warrior ethos”.

Hegseth, who served in the military, emphasized what he called a “warrior culture” from the beginning of his testimony and promised to shift the Defense Department’s emphasis back to the power of the American military.

“Readiness, standards, meritocracy, warfighting, and lethality. That’s about it. In his opening remarks, he stated, “That is my job.”.

Hegseth criticized policies that he believed undermined the military’s effectiveness and “lethality” as the hearing went on, specifically those that attempted to promote racial and gender diversity.

“This is not a time for equity,” he declared, asserting that quotas are detrimental to morale.

Military women.

Democrats routinely questioned Hegseth about his prior remarks that women were unfit to serve in combat roles in the military during what turned out to be an expectedly partisan hearing.

Some of the most contentious moments of the morning were brought on by Senators Elizabeth Warren, Mazie Hirono, and Kirsten Gillibrand’s questions along these lines.

He interrupted Massachusetts Senator Warren as she attempted to cite decades-old remarks about female service members.

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“I’m quoting you in a podcast, Mr. Hegseth: ‘Women shouldn’t be in combat at all,'” Warren responded.

Keeping his cool, Hegseth replied that he was more concerned with upholding “standards” in the military than with women fighting.

‘Breath of fresh air’ or lack of experience.

Hegseth, who at 44 would be the youngest defense secretary in decades, also responded to inquiries about his readiness to lead the vast defense department.

“It’s time to give someone with dust on his boots the helm,” the former Fox News host said, referring to himself as a “change agent.”. “,”.

Hegseth’s inexperience was seen as a strength by some Republicans.

“You are a breath of fresh air despite all the talk of experience and not coming from the same cocktail parties that permanent Washington is used to,” said Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt, a Republican.

A graduate of Harvard and Princeton, Hegseth received the Bronze Star Medal while leading infantry platoons in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay. Hegseth, a former host of Fox News TV, has also served in the Afghan military.

Nevertheless, Democrats questioned Hegseth about his suitability for the top military position. According to US media reports, Hegseth’s leadership positions at two nonprofit veterans organizations ended in financial ruin.

Tammy Duckworth, a combat veteran, asked if Hegseth had ever overseen an audit before.

Before Duckworth interrupted, Hegseth said, “Senator, in both of the organizations I ran, we were always completely fiscally responsible.”.

Duckworth questioned, “Yes or no? Did you lead an audit? Do you not know this answer?”.

what was not questioned.

Experts told the BBC that what most surprised them was how little Hegseth discussed how he would manage the military complexities of the position.

Senators did not directly question Hegseth about ongoing conflicts, other possible military adversaries, or strategic rivals, with the exception of passing references to China, the conflict in Ukraine, and Russia.

The questions about Hegseth’s competence and character largely “crowded out” those basic issues, according to former assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans, and capabilities Mara Karlin.

“It’s astounding how little attention has been paid to the bread and butter of the secretary of defense’s duties, which include safeguarding the country and making sure the military is capable of winning wars,” Karlin stated.

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