Pete Hegseth has spent the week on Capitol Hill trying to reassure Republican senators that he is fit to lead President-elect Donald Trump's Department of Defense in the wake of high-profile allegations about excessive drinking and sexual assault.
But senators in both parties have also expressed concern about another issue -- Hegseth's frequent comments that women should not serve in frontline military combat jobs.
As the former Army National Guard major and combat veteran fights to salvage his Cabinet nomination, meeting with senators for a fourth day Thursday with promises not to drink on the job and assurances he never engaged in sexual misconduct, his professional views on women troops are coming under deeper scrutiny.
"I said to him, just so you know, Joni Ernst and Tammy Duckworth deserve a great deal of respect," Cramer said, referring to two female senators who sit on the Senate Armed Services Committee -- both of whom are combat veterans.
The role of women in the military is another entry in the far-right's efforts to return the armed forces back to an earlier era, something Hegseth has embraced with Trump's approach to end "woke" programs that foster diversity, equity and inclusion in the ranks. The DEI movement is coming under attack as Trump prepares to return to the White House, and he has vowed to fire generals whom he deems "woke."
Military and defense leaders, however, have argued that it would be fundamentally wrong to eliminate half the population from critical combat posts, and they have flatly denied that standards were lowered to allow women to qualify.
"If I get a little fired up about this, it's just because this isn't 1950. It isn't 1948. It is 2024," Austin said.
As Hegseth went office-to-office this week meeting with GOP senators, he brushed back questions about his past views that women should not serve in combat roles.
"We have amazing women who serve our military," Hegseth said Tuesday. "Amazing women who serve in our military."
Pressed if they should serve in combat, Hegseth said they already do. But that's a turnaround from his earlier statements. Hegseth said as recently as last month that women "straight up" should not serve in combat roles.
It "hasn't made us more lethal. Has made fighting more complicated," he said in a podcast before he was nominated by Trump.
In his own writings, he has expanded on views of a more masculine-focused military. Those views are running into icy resistance in the Senate from both sides of the political aisle.
"A very thorough vetting" is needed, Ernst told Fox News. She demurred Thursday on whether she will support his nomination but praised his service. As he walked into a meeting with South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds on Thursday,
Hegseth told reporters there is an incredible amount of knowledge in Senate committee and welcomed advice
Hegseht yet meet Duckworth or other Democrats committee Duckworth Democrat Purple Heart recipient piloted Blackhawk helicopter Iraq War lost legs hit rocket-propelled grenade rose lieutenant colonel retired Reserve forces later served assistant secretary Department Veterans Affairs.
Cramer added confirmation hearing won't pleasant Democrats grill views. Trump now appears standing aside suggestions float possible replacement pick including former Trump rival Florida Gov Ron DeSantis lead Pentagon. About 17% active-duty service members are women total grown steadily over decades served wide array jobs pilots intelligence officers years. The Pentagon formally opened all combat jobs 2015 frontline infantry armor posts since thousands been male-only. As nearly serving Army infantry armor artillery completed Ranger course qualified elite operations units including Green Berets.