Pete Hegseth, Trump's nominee for defense secretary, clarified his stance on women in combat, supporting their participation as long as they meet the same standards as men. This shift comes amidst allegations against Hegseth and past statements opposing women in combat roles.
Pete Hegseth , President-elect Donald Trump 's nominee for defense secretary , told a Senate panel on Tuesday that he supports women serving in combat roles as long as they meet the same standards as men. This stance, while seemingly straightforward, comes after weeks of Hegseth navigating allegations of heavy drinking, financial mismanagement of a veteran nonprofit, and sexual assault. He denies these claims, attributing them to a media 'smear campaign.
' Hegseth's past statements advocating against women in combat roles had drawn scrutiny from Senators Joni Ernst and Tammy Duckworth, both combat veterans. Hegseth clarified his position, stating that all service members, regardless of gender, should have the opportunity to compete for jobs based on objective occupational and readiness standards. He emphasized that the physical demands of combat roles remain the same for everyone, regardless of gender. 'Every service member, regardless of gender, who can meet objective occupational and readiness standards for a career field should have the opportunity to compete for jobs in that field,' Hegseth told the panel. 'In those ground combat roles, what is true is that the weight of the ruck on your back doesn't change, the weight of the 155 round that you have to carry doesn't change, the weight of the 240 Bravo machine gun you might have to carry doesn't change. And so, whether it's a man or a woman, they have to meet the same high standards,' he added. He stressed that any deviation from meritocracy and readiness standards in favor of quotas, whether racial or gender-based, would weaken the military. A defense official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that the Department of Defense has long upheld the policy of allowing anyone who meets gender-neutral operational standards to serve in any position. Ash Carter, the defense secretary in 2016 when the military opened certain high-intensity combat jobs to women, including special operations forces, stated at the time that the military services must maintain the same standards for all. 'This means that as long as they qualify and meet the standards, women will now be able to contribute to our mission in ways they could not before. They'll be allowed to drive tanks, fire mortars, and lead infantry soldiers into combat,' Carter said. While the military has at times lowered its recruitment standards across the board to address declining enlistment numbers, these adjustments are applied equally to men and women. Hegseth's statements Tuesday regarding women in combat roles contrast with his previous pronouncements, including as recent as November, where he stated his opposition to women serving in combat. 'I'm straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles. It hasn't made us more effective, hasn't made us more lethal, has made fighting more complicated,' he said on a podcast last November.
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