Sen. Joni Ernst beforehand expressed doubts about Pete Hegseth taking over the function of protection secretary.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) has voiced assist for President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for protection secretary, Pete Hegseth, following his affirmation listening to on Tuesday.
The senator stated that she would work with Hegseth “to create probably the most deadly combating pressure” and maintain him to his commitments of “auditing the Pentagon, guaranteeing alternative for ladies in fight whereas sustaining excessive requirements, and choosing a senior official to deal with and stop sexual assault within the ranks” if he’s confirmed as protection secretary.
Ernst, a fight veteran and sexual assault survivor, had beforehand expressed doubts about Hegseth taking over the function, following his previous feedback suggesting that girls shouldn’t serve in fight roles. Hegseth additionally confronted allegations that he sexually assaulted a lady in 2017, which he had denied.
Throughout Tuesday’s listening to, Ernst questioned if Hegseth would assist girls persevering with to serve in fight roles, to which Hegseth responded affirmatively.
“My reply is sure, precisely the best way that you simply caveated it,” he advised Ernst. “Ladies can have entry to floor fight roles, given the requirements stay excessive.”
Hegseth said that he would conduct a evaluate to make sure that the requirements “haven’t been eroded” if he turns into protection secretary.
“That shall be a part of one of many first issues we do on the Pentagon, is reviewing that in a gender-neutral manner, the requirements, guaranteeing readiness and meritocracy is entrance and middle,” he stated.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) additionally questioned Hegseth’s stance on girls serving in fight roles.
“Now we have lots of of girls who’re at present within the infantry, deadly members of our army serving within the infantry. However you degrade them. You say we’d like mothers, however not within the army, particularly in fight items,” she stated.
In response, Hegseth emphasised that his views, “lately and previously, and from private expertise,” stemmed from situations the place he’s “seen requirements lowered.”
“I’ve by no means disparaged girls serving within the army. I respect each single feminine service member that has placed on the uniform, previous and current,” he stated.
Hegseth stated that suggestions from lively service members and his private situations confirmed that “in methods direct, oblique, overt and refined, requirements have been modified … to make sure that commanders meet quotas to have a sure variety of feminine infantry officers and infantry enlisted. And that disparages these girls who’re extremely able to assembly that commonplace.”
Hegseth, 44, can be a fight veteran. In response to a duplicate of his service report shared with The Epoch Occasions, Hegseth’s unit accomplished a rotation at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba from June 2004 to April 2005. The bottom has served as a detention facility for international terrorist suspects.
After his Guantanamo Bay deployment, Hegseth’s unit was deployed to Iraq from September 2005 to July 2006. Later, his unit deployed to Afghanistan from Could 2011 to January 2012.
Hegseth has authored a number of books specializing in army and political points. He has additionally been a mainstay on Fox Information, offering political commentary throughout the community’s numerous daytime and primetime applications.
Ryan Morgan and Tom Ozimek contributed to this report.