Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth defended his past comments about women serving in combat, saying he is focused on standards that have eroded for such roles, not the gender of the service member.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire Democrat, read aloud some of Mr. Hegseth’s past comments about women being less effective in combat roles, including one from a podcast in which he said, “I’m straight up saying we should not have women in combat roles.”
Mr. Hegseth said Tuesday that women in the military “have and continue to make amazing contributions across all aspects of our battlefields” and that his comments are not meant to disparage their service.
“When I’m talking about that issue, it’s not about the capabilities of men and women, it’s about standards,” he said, asserting that standards over time have “eroded in certain duty positions, certain schools, certain places, which affects readiness, which is what I care about the most, readiness on the battlefield.”
Ms. Shaheen responded that his “statements publicly have not been to that effect” and asked why women in the military should believe what he is saying now that he’s nominated for defense secretary over what he has said previously.
“What do you have to say to the almost 400,000 women who are serving today about your position on whether they should be capable to rise through the highest ranks of our military?” she said.
SEE ALSO: Hegseth questioned on past comments that women should not serve in combat roles
Mr. Hegseth said he would tell those women that he would be honored to serve alongside them and that they would be “treated fairly, with dignity, honor and respect.”
Sen. Tom Cotton, Arkansas Republican, who followed Ms. Shaheen in questioning, helped Mr. Hegseth with his defense.
“What we’re talking about here, specifically, is women in ground combat roles, in jobs like infantrymen or artillerymen or special forces,” the senator said.
Mr. Cotton said those roles were not open to women until a decade ago under Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, and asked Mr. Hegseth if President-elect Donald Trump has indicated he plans to rescind or alter that guidance.
“He has not indicated to me that he has plans to change whether or not women would have access to these roles,” Mr. Hegseth said. “However, I would point out ensuring that standards are equal and high is of importance to him and great importance to me.”
Mr. Hegseth further explained what he meant by standards, saying the weight of artillery and other equipment that service members in ground combat roles have to carry should not change based on gender.
SEE ALSO: Top Senate Armed Services Democrat tells Pete Hegseth he’s unqualified for Pentagon chief
“In any place where those things have been eroded, or in courses, criteria have been changed in order to meet quotas, racial quotas or gender quotas. That is putting a focus on something other than readiness standards, meritocracy and lethality,” he said. “So that’s the kind of review I’m talking about, not whether women have access to ground combat roles.”
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, New York Democrat, accused Mr. Cotton of giving Mr. Hegseth “layups to differentiate between different types of combat.”
She said despite Mr. Hegseth’s assertions, the requirements for ground combat roles have not been reduced and “are very difficult to meet.”
Ms. Gillibrand further pressed Mr. Hegseth on his past comments, including one where he reportedly said, “We need moms but not in the military.”
“Please explain these types of statements because they’re brutal and they’re mean and they disrespect men and women who are willing to die for this country,” she said.
Mr. Hegseth responded that he “never disparaged women serving in the military” and his critiques have been about instances where he’s seen standards lowered.
“I spent months talking to active-duty service members, men and women, low ranks, high ranks, combat arms and not combat arms,” he said. “And what each and every one of them told me, and which personal instances have shown me, is that in ways, direct, indirect, overt and subtle, standards have been changed inside infantry training units, ranger school, infantry battalions.”
• Lindsey McPherson can be reached at lmcpherson@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.