Pete Hegseth’s take on women in battle, infidelity and more—in his own words

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pete Hegseth will try to convince members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that he should be the next defense ministerafter weeks of meetings with lawmakers who peppered him with questions about his character and views on a range of military issues.

As the author of several books and a former Fox News Channel host, Hegseth has been forced to defend himself against a wide range of his own public comments, including in his latest book, “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Hold us free.”

His wide-ranging opinions could provide insight into how he might approach the top Pentagon job if confirmed. At times he says he has been misunderstood, but at other times he has tried to soften his previously stated views on controversial issues.

Here is a look at Hegseth in his own words:

On the state of the US military

An Army veteran who rose to the rank of major and served in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, Hegseth, 44, says he believes standards have fallen and efforts to expand diversity, equality and inclusion have driven white men away.

He complains in his latest book that “woke” generals and the heads of the elite service academies have left the military dangerously weak and “feminine” by promoting DEI. He says, “the next commander in chief will have to clean house.”

“It turns out that all the ‘diversity’ recruiting messages made certain kids — white kids — feel like they weren’t wanted,” he said in his book.

If confirmed, he has said there will be no more “social justice, politically correct approaches to how we fight and wage wars.” Instead, he said, “this is about mortality, meritocracy, preparedness.”

And he has promised to fire generals involved in “vigilante” programs.

About women in combat

Hegseth’s opposition—stated in his book and interviews—was simple and direct before his Nov. 12 nomination. But in the face of questions from Congress, he appears to have changed his mind.

“I am simply saying that we should not have women in combat roles. It has not made us more efficient. Hasn’t made us more mortal. Has made the fight more complicated,” he said in a podcast hosted by Shawn Ryan on Nov. 7.

Women have a place in the military, he said, just not in special operations, artillery, infantry and armored units.

In his book, he said women have performed well in dangerous support roles during war, but “women in the infantry — women in combat on purpose — is a different story.” He adds, “women cannot physically meet the same standards as men.”

He said: “Fathers push us to take risks. Mothers put the training wheels on our bikes. We need mothers. But not in the military, especially in combat units.”

His views angered some members of Congress.

Asked about the issue on the “Megyn Kelly Show” in early December, Hegseth said he only cares about military standards being maintained. Women serve in combat, he said, and, “if we have the right standard and women meet that standard, roger. Let’s go.”

About accusations of adultery and sexual assault

Hegseth faced accusations that he sexual assault a woman he met at a conference in California in 2017. He has denied it, saying it was consensual. No charges were brought.

He has acknowledged pay a settlement to his accuser, claiming he did so to stave off a frivolous lawsuit. “The matter was fully investigated and I was cleared completely,” he said.

He has also admitted to several instances of infidelity, including the incident in California, which occurred while he was going through a divorce with his second wife after fathering a child with the woman who is now his current wife, Jennifer Rauchet.

He told Kelly that going to a hotel room with someone who wasn’t his wife “isn’t right” and that he paid the settlement “to protect my wife. I did it to protect my family. I did it to protect my job.”

He said it was fair to call him a “serial cheater” but he “was truly changed by Jen and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” and is now a different man.

On drinking

Senators have also expressed concern over reports of excessive drinking.

Hegseth has denied having a drinking problem and said publicly that he told lawmakers he would not drink while he was defense secretary.

“I don’t want a drink at all,” he said, likening it to following the Pentagon’s General Order No. 1, which prohibits troops from drinking while deployed.

He said when service members often come home from war, “they have some beer.” But Kelly insisted in the interview that “I’ve never had a drinking problem.”

About extremism in the military

Hegseth has said the Pentagon overreacted in taking steps to address extremism and has taken leadership to task for the military’s efforts to remove people it considered white supremacists and violent extremists.

He wrote that the issue is “bogus” and characterized it as “selling the lie of racism in the military.” He said efforts to root out extremism had pushed “rank and file patriots out of their formations.”

Hegseth was pulled from Washington National Guard duty during President Joe Biden’s inauguration after he was flagged as a possible “insider threat” by a colleague because of a tattoo.

Hegseth has said it was due to a Christian corset tattoo on his chest. But the fellow guard, who was on an anti-terrorist team at the time, shared with The Associated Press an email he sent to the unit’s leadership and marked another tattoo on Hegseth’s bicep associated with white supremacy groups.

About a Pentagon chief who leads in battle

Shortly after President-elect Trump announced his nomination, Hegseth wrote on X: “Maybe it’s time for a @SecDef who has… led in battle. Been on patrol for days. Pulled a trigger. Heard bullets whizzing by . Called in close air support. Led medevacs. Dodged IEDs.”

He said Trump told him, “I elected you because you are the guy who will put the war fighters first. We haven’t had that. We need a guy who has kicked down doors and understands the consequences of war.”

Trump’s first Secretary of Defense, retired Marine General Jim Mattis, served in combat in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and was awarded a Bronze Star with a V for Valor for serving in one of the lead assault units that entered Kuwait in the first Gulf War .

Current Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, a retired Army general, also commanded troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and was awarded a Silver Star, the nation’s third-highest award for valor, for leading troops into Iraq during the 2003 invasion.

“I’ve led troops into combat in pretty significant and tough situations,” Austin told The Associated Press. “Even if you are a self-described ‘door kicker’ or whatever you want to call it, I had run large, complex organizations before I came into this job, and I did that successfully.”

“So I think you have to have a perspective of what’s happening on the ground, but you also have to have an understanding of how things fit into the bigger picture,” he said.

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Associated Press writer Tara Copp contributed to this report.