Sen. Duckworth slams Hegseth’s stance against women in combat

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) has strongly criticized President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, over his stance against women serving in combat roles, calling it “flat-out wrong.” A Thai American decorated combat veteran who lost both legs in Iraq, Duckworth also questioned Hegseth’s qualifications, citing his limited military experience and a past sexual assault allegation.

Driving the news: Hegseth, a former Fox News host and Army veteran, has sparked controversy by claiming women in combat roles make the military less effective and complicate operations. In a podcast hosted by Shawn Ryan on Nov. 7, he stated, “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.” Hegseth’s nomination also faces scrutiny due to a 2017 sexual assault allegation, which he denies, though he reportedly paid a settlement to the accuser.
What Duckworth is saying: Duckworth, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, lambasted Hegseth’s views as indicative of his lack of understanding about modern military needs. “Our military could not go to war without the 220,000-plus women who serve in uniform,” she said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, asserting that women do make the military “more effective” and “more lethal.” Duckworth emphasized that women in combat roles, including Special Forces, have proven their capabilities by meeting the same standards as men. Criticizing Hegseth’s experience, she pointed out that he held only junior leadership roles during his military service and has no experience managing an organization of the Pentagon’s scale, which oversees three million personnel and a $900 billion budget. “This is a man who is inordinately unqualified for the position,” she stressed. As for Hegseth’s sexual assault controversy, Duckworth said it is “frankly an insult and really troubling that Mr. Trump would nominate someone who has admitted he paid off a victim who has claimed rape allegations against him.”

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