close_game
close_game

Trump’s Pentagon pick off to a stormy start in Senate confirmation process

Jan 14, 2025 11:53 PM IST

Hegseth, a former Fox News anchor and veteran, attributed the allegations to a ‘smear campaign’ by the ‘Left-wing media’

Washington: President-elect Donald Trump’s process to get his nominees confirmed began on a stormy note with Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) slamming his pick as the secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, about his personal conduct, views on women in combat, racist comments, alcohol abuse, lack of experience, support for war criminals, partisanship, and poor record of management.

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be Defence secretary, appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, on Tuesday. (AP)
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be Defence secretary, appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, on Tuesday. (AP)

Hegseth, a former Fox News anchor and veteran, attributed the allegations to a “smear campaign” by the “Left-wing media” because he was a “change agent”, claimed his “redemption” was real, and defined his agenda as defending the homeland, countering China in the Indo-Pacific, ending wars and modernising the US military. He also expressed both support for the Geneva conventions but also said, repeatedly, that rules of warfighting had changed and adversaries took advantage of US abiding by rules - indicating a deeply ambivalent attitude to laws of war and leaving open ended the issue of whether under him the US military will abide by international law

HT was present in the packed room of the Dirksen Senate building on Capitol Hill where the SASC convened on Tuesday morning, six days before Trump’s inauguration, to decide on the man who will, if confirmed, lead a three-million people strong department with a budget of close to $900 billion.

The committee proceedings were marked by protests against the war in Gaza. When asked about it, Hegseth staunchly backed Israel’s war.

Setting the tone

Roger Wicker, a Republican senator from Mississippi, as the chair of SASC, began the proceedings by claiming that the US was facing a “moment of maximum danger”, it confronted an “axis of aggressors” including China, and that past civilian leaders had not prepared DOD for this moment. “Pentagon can’t pass an audit. It must simplify its bureaucracy. Staff has ballooned. Organisations are top heavy. Today’s DOD is no longer prepared for great power competition. It is not capable of sustaining technological supremacy”, Wickers said. He claimed that Hegseth was unconventional just like the New York developer who walked down the escalator, a reference to Trump, and claimed him being an unconventional choice made Hegseth the right choice.

Jack Reed, the ranking member of the committee, however slammed Hegseth and told him, “I don’t believe you are capable of leading the department”. He referred to allegations of financing mismanagement, racist and sexist comments, sexual harassment and sexual abuse, and his position against diversity, and said all of this was “extremely alarming”. Reed said he had joined the army in 1970 when the army was rife with racist tensions, women and gay people weren’t allowed to serve, and the forces had been made progress since then. “Our military is more diverse than it has ever been. It is more lethal than it has ever been.” He said that he was also concerned about Hegseth’s managerial abilities of organisations much smaller than DOD.

Hegseth was accompanied by a former senator from Minnesota, Normal Coleman, who said that Hegseth was an “out of the box nominee”, acknowledged he had gone through personal crises, but was a changed man. Michael Waltz, Trump’s pick for national security advisor, was the second witness who backed Hegseth. He said that Hegseth had been a friend for a decade, that they had served and witnessed the loss of dear ones in combat, veterans appreciated him. “Status quo isn’t working. You know it. Innovation is down, standards have fallen..our adversaries are emboldened. It is time for change.”

Hegseth’s priorities and defence

In his opening statement, Hegseth claimed that Trump had got a mandate for change, and said that Trump’s primary instruction to him was to bring back the “warrior ethos” to Pentagon. Hegseth said he intended to deal with recruitment and retrenchment issues, modernise defence industrial base and re-establish deterrence. He said his priorities, would include defending the homeland; supporting allies and partners against China’s aggression in Indo-Pacific; and ending wars.

Asked about what he would do about China, Hegseth said it started with prioritising. He credited the 2017 national defence strategy, drafted by the current undersecretary of defence for policy pick Elbridge Colby, as having recognised China as the adversary and said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is “front and centre” of the threats facing the US.

When asked about opposition to women serving in combat roles in the military, including as recently as November 7 when he said that women should not be in combat role, at a time when women constituted 18% in military, Hegseth said that women make “amazing contributions” to all aspects of the battlefield.

Asked if he had then changed his view, and what he believed, Hegseth said that he would be honoured to lead them, and they would be treated with fairness and dignity. “I appreciate your 11th hour conversion,” Democratic member Jeanne Shaheen told Hegseth. Hegseth however, in response to the prodding of another Republican senator, Tom Cotton, emphasised the physical requirements for ground combat roles and why that should not be compromised.

A Democratic senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, then pushed Hegseth again on how there remained hundreds of women in combat roles and his statements had been mean and hurtful and disrespectful. Hegseth once again claimed that standards had been lowered, in overt and covert ways, to include women — a premise Gillibrand rejected forcefully. She also slammed him for his positions against members of LGBTQI and members with a different political persuasion in the military.

Asked about his support for those convicted of war crimes, Hegseth claimed he had thought a lot about the balance between “legality and lethality” and that while he respected rules of war, he was concerned about restrictive rules of fighting and had only intervened in specific cases where evidence had been withheld or there had been prosecutorial misconduct.

Hegseth was then questioned about his lack of experience in leading organisations, let alone an organisation of the scale of US military forces, with Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal claiming that he was fit to be spokesperson of Pentagon given his communication skills but not to lead it.

On allegations of sexual abuse, assault, alcohol abuse and inappropriate workplace behaviour, Hegseth claimed that since his name was announced, there was a “smear campaign”, based on anonymous sources, and this was not about him but about derailing Trump. “The Left-wing media doesn’t care about truth. They want to destroy me because I am a change agent. I am willing to endure these attacks but I will stand up for my truth and my reputation.”

rec-icon Recommended Topics
Share this article
Read breaking news, latest updates from US, UK, Pakistan and other countries across the world on topics related to politics,crime, and national affairs along with Super Bowl 2025 Live Updates.
See More
Read breaking news, latest updates from US, UK, Pakistan and other countries across the world on topics related to politics,crime, and national affairs along with Super Bowl 2025 Live Updates.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Saturday, February 15, 2025
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On