Five takeaways from Pete Hegseth’s hearing

Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, has cleared his first confirmation hurdle: a lengthy — and at times tense — hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

For more than four hours on Tuesday, Hegseth faced questions about his ability to lead the Defense Department, including its three million employees and $849bn (£695bn) budget. And although he was Democrats accused him of sexual abuse, infidelity and drinking on the job, he appeared to have the support of most Republicans on the committee.

Democratic opposition in a closely divided Senate means Hegseth can afford to lose just three Republican votes and still be confirmed.

Here’s a look at the five main takeaways from Hegseth’s testimony.

From the very beginning of his testimony, Hegseth, a military veteran, he emphasized what he called a “warrior culture,” vowing to return the Defense Department’s focus to the strength of the U.S. military.

“Warfare, mortality, meritocracy, standards and readiness. That’s it. That’s my job,” he said in his opening remarks.

As the hearing continued, Hegseth was critical of the policy, which he believed harmed the military’s effectiveness and “lethal ability,” namely efforts to address racial and gender diversity.

“This is not the time for fairness,” he said, adding that he opposes quotas, which he claims harm morale.

In what was expected to become a partisan hearing, Democrats repeatedly criticized Hegseth for his past statements suggesting that women are unfit to serve in combat roles in the military.

Questions from Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Mazie Hirono and Elizabeth Warren in this regard provided some of the most heated moments of the morning.

He was talking about Warren, the senator from Massachusetts, as she tried to point out comments about female soldiers that go back years.

“Mr. Hegseth, I quote you on the podcast: ‘Women shouldn’t be in combat at all,'” Warren said.

Hegseth remained composed, saying he was not interested in women in combat, but simply in maintaining “standards” in the military.

Hegseth, who at 44 will be the youngest defense secretary in decades, also answered questions about his readiness to lead the defense department, a large agency.

The former Fox News anchor described himself as an “agent of change,” saying “it’s time to hand over the helm to someone with dust on their boots.”

Some Republicans saw Hegseth’s lack of experience as a strength.

“I just want to say, for all the talk of experience and not coming from the same cocktail parties that regular Washington is used to, you are a breath of fresh air,” said Sen. Eric Schmitt, Republican of Missouri.

A graduate of Princeton and Harvard universities, Hegseth was an infantry platoon leader at Guantanamo Bay and Iraq, and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. Hegseth, also a former Fox News anchor, also has military experience in Afghanistan.

Still, Democrats pressed Hegseth on his qualifications for the top military job. US media reports revealed that Hegseth’s mandates are headed by two veteran nonprofits the groups ended up in financial ruin.

Combat veteran Tammy Duckworth focused on whether Hegseth ever oversaw an audit.

“Senator, in both organizations I’ve run we’ve always been completely fiscally responsible,” Hegseth began, before being cut in by Duckworth.

“Yes or no? Did you audit? You don’t know this answer?” Duckworth said.

Some experts told the BBC that they were most surprised by how little Hegseth said about how he would handle the military complexity of the job.

Aside from brief mentions of China and the war in Ukraine and Russia, the senators did not ask Hegseth specifically about current conflicts or other potential military adversaries and strategic rivals.

Those fundamental questions have largely been “crowded out” by questions about Hegseth’s character and capabilities, said Mara Karlin, former assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans and capabilities.

“What’s striking about the hearing is how little focus there was on the bread and butter of what the defense secretary has to do, which is protect the nation and make sure you have a military capable of winning conflicts,” Karlin said.

The 2017 sexual assault allegation in Monterey, California, which surfaced shortly after Trump nominated him for the Pentagon role, has surfaced repeatedly.

According to the police report, the unnamed woman said Hegseth took her phone and blocked the door when she tried to leave his hotel room before he sexually assaulted her.

Hegseth has denied any wrongdoing. His lawyer admitted that Hegseth paid an undisclosed amount to keep quiet about the incident.

On Tuesday, Hegseth went largely on the offensive, denouncing a “coordinated smear campaign” orchestrated by the left-wing media. – They want to destroy me.

But at other times during the hearing, Hegseth answered questions about his behavior with passionate references to his Christian faith.

“I’m not a perfect person, but redemption is real,” he said.