Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Defense Honoring women in the military as He was dubbed “The Greatest Warrior” after critics criticized comments he made about women being unfit to serve in combat.
“I would also like the opportunity here to clarify comments that have been misinterpreted as I don’t support women in the military. Some of our greatest warriors Our greatest warriors are women,” he told Fox News’ Sean Hannity Monday.
Women’s service members “Love our country want to protect that flag And they do that every day around the world. I don’t think anything of it,” he added.
“But after President Trump asked me to be Secretary of Defense, If I get the chance to do that I look forward to being the warrior’s secretary. Both our men and women for the amazing contributions they make to our military.”
Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth joins Fox News’ Sean Hannity (Fox News)
Hegseth will spend this week meeting with senators on Capitol Hill to consider the 50 votes he needs to retain his Cabinet-level position.
After the second meeting with Hegseth She also hinted that she would or would not support confirmation.
On the November 7 episode of the Shawn Ryan podcast, which aired just days before Hegseth, a former Fox News employee, was tapped to be secretary of defense. The nominee said: “I’m just bluntly saying we shouldn’t have women. in combat roles”
Hegseth insists that women take on combat roles. “It doesn’t make us more efficient. It doesn’t make us more deadly” and “makes the fight more complicated.”
Hegseth noted that he doesn’t necessarily support change at this time by expressing his opinion. “Imagine the provocateurs in Washington, D.C., if you actually did this, you know, ‘We should reduce the number of women in combat.'”
Hegseth was attending a meeting on Capitol Hill with senators where he needed to receive confirmation of his vote. (Anna Moneymaker)
“As a disclaimer for everyone out there,” he added. “We have all served women and they have been wonderful. It’s just that our institutions don’t necessarily create incentives in places where … men, over human history, have become more capable.”
TRUMP RALLY BEHIND HEGSETH BUT INVITE DESANTIS TO ARMY GAMES
He said, “I love the wonderfully engaged women service members,” but insisted that “everything about women serving together makes the situation more complicated. And the complexity of the battle makes the death toll worse.”
He also criticized senior military leaders for changing standards and Prioritizing filling diversity quotas Above combat efficiency He points to a 2015 Marine Corps study that found integrated male-female units were They were “significantly worse” in terms of combat effectiveness than all-male military units.
Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense (now gone), and his wife, Jennifer Hegseth, attended the meeting with the Senate. Mike Rounds, R.S.D., member of the Senate Armed Services Committee At the Capitol in Washington On Thursday, December 1, Oct. 5, 2024 (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (AP)
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“Between bone density, lung capacity and muscle strength Men and women are different,” he said. “So I’m fine with it if you keep the standard for everyone. And if there is a woman who can charge up to that standard, cool, cool, join the infantry battalion. But that’s not what happened. What happened is standards dropped.”
