Hegseth was the first of roughly a dozen Trump’s appointees slated to go before Senate committees this week.
Pete Hegseth appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Jan. 14 to make his case to become the next secretary of the Defense Department.
Hegseth was the first of roughly a dozen of President-elect Donald Trump’s appointees slated to go before Senate committees this week and is considered one of the more controversial Cabinet selections.
That fact was on full display as Hegseth entered the crowded Senate chamber to raucous applause and chants of “U.S.A.” that were quickly followed by angry cries and accusations of support for genocide in the Middle East.
Such polarization continued through the single round of questioning afforded to lawmakers. Democrats pressed Hegseth on his professional experience and personal failings, while Republicans praised him for condemning “woke” politics in the military.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the hearing.
1. Hegseth Focuses on Military’s Warfighting Capability
Hegseth sought early on to quash fears that he would lead a witch hunt of Trump’s perceived political enemies in the ranks.
He said both he and Trump would seek to focus on improving the warfighting capability of the military without regard for the political affiliations of its servicemembers.
“[Trump], like me, wants a Pentagon laser-focused on lethality, meritocracy, warfighting, accountability, and readiness,” Hegseth said in his opening remarks.
“We will remain patriotically apolitical and stridently constitutional.”
When pressed on previous comments in which he blamed Democrats and leftists for much of the military’s perceived failings, Hegseth acknowledged that the incoming Trump administration would remove many officers from their positions but said removals and promotions would be based on merit.
Hegseth said he would seek to reestablish “real deterrence” for the American homeland, beginning with the southern border and expanding to operations against China in the Indo-Pacific as part of a wider Trump administration push toward a “peace through strength” foreign policy.
To that end, Hegseth said that he would “bring the warrior culture back” to the Pentagon, which he said has become less capable of fighting and winning wars and places rule-following above operational success.
By Andrew Thornebrooke and Ryan Morgan
