But some of the most striking and revealing exchanges were with Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, an Iraq War veteran who served in combat as a helicopter pilot.
When asked by Duckworth to name one of the agreements the secretary of defense personally negotiates, he couldn’t name one.
Hegseth lacks the traditional management experience of past Defense Department leaders, a job that entails overseeing a roughly $850 billion budget and 3.4 million personnel.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Hegseth pitched himself as an outsider and a force for much-needed change, ready to shake things up.
“I’ve watched Mattis, and I’ve watched [current Secretary of Defense Lloyd] Austin, and I’ve watched Esper go toe-to-toe with the Chinese defense secretary at these international forums,” she said.
President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, made an appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee this week for a crucial and frequently heated confirmation hearing.
Many Democrats concentrated on Hegseth’s personal scandals, his past misbehavior accusations, which he vehemently denied, or his remarks against women in combat, which he later retracted.
However, some of the most notable and eye-opening conversations were with Sen. Illinois resident Tammy Duckworth is a combat helicopter pilot who served in the Iraq War. Duckworth was asked to list one of the agreements that the secretary of defense personally negotiates, but he was unable to do so. A nation in ASEAN, an intergovernmental organization of ten Southeast Asian nations that includes important U.S. S. alliances in the military.
Additionally, he spoke extensively about the importance of maintaining high standards for everyone else. Nevertheless, from what I could understand, the main focus of that hearing was his request that we lower the bar for him,” Duckworth stated in an interview with The 19th.
A private settlement Hegseth paid to a woman who accused him of raping her in 2017 and previous charges of mismanaging a nonprofit organization for veterans have been the subject of numerous criticisms. At the hearing, Hegseth denied other accusations as “anonymous smears” and claimed he was wrongfully accused of assault in an encounter he claimed was consensual. “”.
Following the hearing, Sen. In a widely followed vote on Hegseth, Joni Ernst of Iowa, who has fought against sexual assault in the military, came out in support of his confirmation. The Senate is controlled by Republicans, and Hegseth will be confirmed by the Armed Services Committee on Monday, paving the way for him to take over as defense secretary as early as next week.
Duckworth claimed that she was probably most worried about Hegseth’s credentials and experience going into the hearing. During a floor speech on Thursday, she stated that she does not oppose his nomination on partisan grounds because she has backed previous Trump nominees to head the Pentagon, such as Gen. She felt that Mark Esper and James Mattis were qualified.
In contrast to previous Defense Department leaders, Hegseth does not have the traditional management experience that comes with managing a budget of approximately $850 billion and 3–4 million employees. During his time in the U.S. A. Last seen co-hosting “Fox and Friends” weekends was Army National Guard. Hegseth presented himself as an outsider who was prepared to upend the status quo and bring about much-needed change during Tuesday’s hearing. Hegseth promised to “bring the warrior culture” back to the Pentagon in his opening remarks and stated that he would hire “people smarter and more capable than me” to work under him in order to make up for his inexperience.
“While this is happening, I’m thinking, ‘Why don’t we just hire a guy who’s smarter than you to do the job at all? If you’re going to have to hire all these other smarter than you people to help you do the job, let’s just cut the middleman,'” Duckworth said.
Duckworth questioned Hegseth regarding defense trade cooperation treaties, acquisition and cross-serving agreements, and status of forces agreements—all of which the secretary of defense must personally negotiate and approve. She has watched other secretaries engage in real-time negotiations while leading the congressional delegation to the yearly Asia-Pacific defense summit, the Shangri-La Dialogue.
She said, “I’ve seen Mattis, [current Secretary of Defense Lloyd] Austin, and Esper compete head-to-head with the Chinese defense secretary at these international forums.”. And I thought, ‘This man will be brutally murdered if he challenges the communist Chinese defense secretary.'”. “.”.
“I haven’t been in government since my military service,” Hegseth said in response to Duckworth’s question about the highest level of international security negotiations he had participated in. One of the three primary categories of such agreements was then to be named by him.
He stated that NATO could be one of the defense arrangements under discussion.
“One of them would be the status of forces agreement,” she stated.
He stated, “I have participated in teaching about the status of forces agreements in Afghanistan.”.
But why don’t you bring it up?” she asked. No, Mr. Dot Hegseth, you are not qualified. “”.
Later, Duckworth remarked, “He couldn’t answer any of these basic, 101 things for someone who wants to be secretary of defense.”. That’s how I arrived at my line of inquiry, then. In reality, I hadn’t planned anything like that in advance. His responses and statements were essentially what sparked it. “.”.
Her inquiry about ASEAN was also prompted by Hegseth’s own remarks during the hearing. He brought up the 2018 National Defense Strategy, which highlights ASEAN’s significance to Trump’s first-term Indo-Pacific strategy. The Indo-Pacific is a crucial area of influence for the US in its fight against China, and Duckworth had hoped to cover it in her seven minutes of questioning.
She then requested that Hegseth “name the importance of at least the nations in ASEAN and what type of agreement the U.S. A. has with them” and the number of ASEAN countries.
Hegseth listed additional important U’s instead of saying, “I couldn’t tell you the exact number.”. S. . military partners such as Japan and South Korea, as well as the AUKUS pact between the US and the UK and Australia.
Mr. “Those three nations you mentioned are not part of ASEAN, Hegseth,” she said. Before you get ready for these kinds of negotiations, I advise you to do some homework. “.”.
After the hearing, videos of Duckworth’s conversations with Hegseth went viral on the internet. She claimed that her questions were intended to elicit basic yet important details about Hegseth’s job, rather than to produce a viral or “gotcha” moment.
“It became very clear that this man is not qualified to do the job,” she said, explaining why it struck a chord. And it became abundantly evident that this man is unfit for the position everywhere in the world. Are you serious for not being able to name a major treaty ally, such as the Philippines, with whom we have intermittent base agreements; Thailand, our oldest treaty ally of 190 years; or Singapore, where we have an air base?
Everyone praised her questioning. Out of all the Democrats on the panel, Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former Trump White House official who is now a Trump critic and co-host of ABC’s “The View,” said she thought Duckworth had the best strategy.
Griffin stated on the show Wednesday that he believed Tammy Duckworth was the most effective because she pushed him on the job’s facts and responsibilities, and he failed. I am dreadfully unfit to serve as secretary of defense, but I have attended the ASEAN summit and can name the participating nations. “.”.
Duckworth spoke on the floor Thursday and during the hearing in front of a copy of the Soldier’s Creed, which she claimed hung over her desk in the Senate and at Walter Reed Medical Center when she was receiving treatment for combat injuries, such as losing both of her legs and some of her right arm’s mobility after Iraqi insurgents hit her Black Hawk helicopter with a grenade in 2004.
“Knowing when you’re not capable of doing the job is a part of being a leader,” she stated on the floor. “Well, Mr. Dot Hegseth, you lack technical proficiency. Your tactical skills are lacking. Your nomination is also a slight to those who have the courage to serve our country. You are not welcome at this station, sir. “.”.