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Jan. 14, 2025 - The Benny Show - Benny Johnson
06:01:55
🚨Pete Hegseth Confirmation LIVE NOW as THOUSANDS Of Vets Show Support at Capitol | Trump CHEERS On
Participants
Main voices
a
anna paulina luna
08:26
b
benny johnson
55:21
e
elizabeth warren
06:21
e
eric schmitt
05:25
j
jack reed
19:15
j
joni ernst
05:56
m
markwayne mullin
12:38
m
michael walz
05:25
p
pete hegseth
01:19:26
r
richard blumenthal
05:41
r
roger wicker
30:26
t
tim kaine
05:42
Appearances
j
jim banks
03:01
r
rick scott
02:25
t
tom cotton
04:29
t
tommy tuberville
04:53
Clips
b
brian kilmeade
00:59
p
peter doocy
00:08
| Copy link to current segment

Speaker Time Text
unidentified
Hi, good morning, guys.
Well, we could see some fireworks in this room when Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hexth appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee in just a few hours.
Don't expect Democrats to go easy on Hexth.
They're expected to press him on a number of issues, including his qualifications, his previous comments on diversity in the military, and the financial mismanagement and sexual assault allegations against him, which he has denied.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also sees the confirmation hearings as a chance to hold President-elect I am
strongly supporting Pete Hegseth for a couple reasons.
We have the most highly educated and powerful military in the history of the planet, and we haven't won a war in 80 years.
So this hearing kicks off 9 to 30 a.m. Eastern Time.
There are 27 senators on this committee.
Each of them has seven minutes to ask questions in a first round.
That's more than three hours of questions, and there could be more questions in a second round.
Other hearings for Trump's nominees for the Interior Department and Veterans Affairs, Doug Burgum and Doug Collins, respectively, have been postponed.
Burgum's is reportedly delayed because of a paperwork issue with the Office of Government Ethics, and Collins is delayed because his background The background check with the FBI hasn't been completed yet.
Pete Hegseth?
Oh, yeah.
So we're going to take things real slow, and I want some crazy eye contact.
benny johnson
Not you, you.
rick scott
Take your clothes off, but leave the helmets.
unidentified
And this isn't Pretty Woman.
We're kissing.
Hegging isn't new for me, friendo, but it is for Disney.
Look, I've never been a natural bottom, and we're going to move on down the hallway so we can spare a clean up on aisle ***.
rick scott
How does everyone feel about this?
unidentified
I don't like you.
benny johnson
Yes, let's hold on to that attitude.
unidentified
Oh, God.
benny johnson
Jerry, you're trying to get me in trouble here.
Okay.
All right.
You know what?
I really like that movie, actually.
So whatever.
I'll go with it.
I'll go with it.
Are we going to do Marvel?
Are we going to do Marvel Cold?
Ladies and gentlemen, the Avengers are assembling and we are starting today off with one hell of a fight inside of the United States Senate.
Today is Tuesday, January 14th, 2020-25.
Pete Hegseth, confirmation hearing, live in just seconds away.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are less than 20 minutes away, 17 minutes approximately.
Today, we are going to watch Pete Hegseth...
I'm going to say fight for his life, but he actually knows what that means.
I mean, Pete Hegseth is an Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran.
He's somebody who fought and served.
He's somebody who's just come back with a squeaky clean FBI background check and report.
He's somebody who should sail into the job of Secretary of Defense, but you know how it works.
We talk a lot about the wrap-up smear here.
They are going to do everything they possibly can to destroy Pete on the way in.
All you need is 50 plus 1. Simple majority to get Pete Hegseth confirmed.
Today there's also going to be some more bombshell hearings on Capitol Hill.
We'll be bouncing back and forth.
It's going to be a fun day.
We'll have Senator Mark Wayne Mullen on the program.
Former Navy SEAL Bill Brown and Tiffany Smiley will join the show defending Pete Hegseth as veterans pack the halls of Congress early this morning in the small hours of the darkness.
Veterans stormed Capitol Hill.
And ladies and gentlemen, there aren't enough seats to get in to support Pete.
So we're going to cover all of it live.
It's going to be exciting.
My name is Benny Johnson, and this is The Benny Show.
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Okay.
Ladies and gentlemen, Pete Hegset is locked and loaded on Capitol Hill in 15 minutes.
The confirmation hearings start inside of the Senate.
Let's jump on over to Breitbart for the news here.
Pete Hegseth, Trump nominee for Secretary of Defense.
Critical test as confirmation hearing is set to be bombshell.
Donald Trump is backing Pete Hegseth and doing it muscularly, vocally this morning.
President Trump posting on Truth Social his full and total unanimous support for Pete Hegseth.
Pete Hegseth will make a great Secretary of Defense.
He has my total and complete support.
Good luck today, Pete!
Pete Hegseth, Trump's nominee for Secretary of Defense, faces critical test.
Ladies and gentlemen, here we go.
Donald Trump's choice for sec death.
Pete Hegseth calls himself a change agent heading into a potentially explosive confirmation hearing on Tuesday.
Senators question whether the former combat veteran and TV news show host is fit to lead the U.S. military.
Oh, really?
Have you checked in on our current crop of leaders?
Have you seen a photo of Darth Vader?
Can we get the Darth Vader photo?
This is like a photo.
Have you seen the current guy running Secretary of Defense?
A guy named Lloyd Austin.
An important reminder for those of you who enjoy history is that Lloyd Austin was in a coma in the hospital for three days during an active...
War, I guess you could say.
America's in multiple active wars right now.
In Israel and in Ukraine.
We're effectively fighting proxy wars all over the world.
It's a nightmare.
It's a real mess.
Syria, it's never-ending for these people.
Lloyd Austin was laid up for months.
Lloyd Austin was literally comatose in the hospital after having a...
Really big surgery.
I can't remember what it was that he had.
It was a couple years ago.
Joe Biden didn't know that his own secretary of defense was on his deathbed.
Lloyd Austin admits he was unreachable in hospital, blames his staff.
Well, that's a very polite headline.
Lloyd Austin was in a coma after major surgery and after having what is effectively a life-threatening Debilitation.
Timeline defense Lloyd Austin's hospitalization and lack of White House notification.
There we go.
richard blumenthal
Hmm.
benny johnson
Okay.
He was hospitalized in intensive care due to complications from an operation without President Joe Biden, cabinet members, or even his deputy knowing.
This is the quality of leadership that currently exists at the Department of Defense.
Here you go.
Here's your quality of leadership at the Department of Defense.
The revelation that the defense secretary had prostate cancer surgery and was later hospitalized in intensive care due to complication.
I think he got sepsis, right?
Operation.
Without Joe Biden, cabinet members, or even his deputy, put intense spotlight on what his staff knew and when, and when did they inform the civilian leadership?
Insane.
I mean, you can go through this entire timeline, but what you'll find here is that Joe Biden had no clue that his own secretary of defense was on his deathbed.
This is the quality of leadership that is currently inside of the Pentagon.
The Commander-in-Chief had no idea.
So here we go, ladies and gentlemen.
Not a high bar, let's just say.
Not a high bar for woke Darth Vader.
Hexheth's former experienced Army National Guard is widely viewed as an asset for the job.
He also brings jarring record of past statements and actions, including allegations of sexual assault, excessive drinking, and derisive views with women in military combat roles.
Woke generals.
He vowed to not drink alcohol if he's confirmed to lead the Pentagon.
One of the knocks against Pete Hegseth, other than the typical Kavanaugh stuff that we deal with all the time on this program, and we are the people who believe in free speech on the damn internet.
It really is remarkable.
It really is astonishing, the number of people that are willing to turn on a Brett Kavanaugh.
Right, remember, all the weak, simpy cucks who are like, oh, Kavanaugh, they said something bad about Kavanaugh, gotta pull him, gotta pull him.
You might not remember, but Pepperidge Farm remembers.
I was here, I was there during the Kavanaugh hearings.
Same thing with Trump.
Same thing with Trump.
Dude, you, like, so weak, feckless, spineless, bitchy.
I'm so sick of all you little children.
We're wimps.
This is why we lose.
It's the same thing.
You can go back, and I'm not trying to, like, dig up old stuff on John Thune, but you can go back, John Thune, John Cornyn, both these guys were in the race for Senate leadership, and both of them were calling on Trump to drop out in 2016.
Oh, got to drop out!
Trump said something naughty.
Said a naughty word.
Said a naughty thing.
Got to drop out.
Ladies and gentlemen.
That's what they wanted.
You can find it.
Those tweets are still available.
Time for Mike Pence to take over.
That's what they said.
That's fully available.
And this is on full display constantly.
Trust me, this show knows.
Of these, like, weak, feckless, limp-wristed, needle-dick Republicans that will turn on Hegseth.
I mean, listen, Hegseth was dead on arrival.
The same people.
Oh, Pete Hegseth said something naughty.
Might have a view that I disagree with.
Time to pull him.
Can only have people at Secretary of Defense.
Who are completely controlled by the left.
Who agree with 100% of what it is.
Never said anything controversial.
Because, you know, that's like enlisted guys have never said anything controversial.
Go hang out in a war zone.
Go hang out with a foxhole.
Go hang out with the veterans.
And see exactly how they joke to each other.
Why don't you go check in on some of the group chats?
I'm in a couple of group chats with a couple of veterans.
Let me tell you what.
Yeah, what Pete Hegseth is accused of doing.
Like, wouldn't even pass the group chat chuckle.
Like, laugh emoji in response.
Okay?
This is how it works, especially when you're a warfighter.
It's called gallows humor.
I guess people have forgotten how to have a sense of humor in this country, and people have also, ladies and gentlemen, forgotten.
Well, I mean, there it is.
This is like a perfect example.
This is why they do the wrap-up smear.
Here's John Thune.
Donald Trump should withdraw, and Mike Pence should be our nominee, effective immediately.
This was sent October 8th, 2016.
There it is.
Yeah.
And that was, of course, when they found a tape of Trump saying something very naughty.
Oh, wow.
Could you imagine?
This man is now, this man having charged ahead and having standing his ground, this man now has the most powerful political moment and movement in world history, arguably.
The freedom movement at his back.
The America First movement at his back.
And he is standing behind Pete Hegseth.
So these are cancellation tactics by the left.
We disown them.
We disabuse these tactics.
And we say with one single voice that we don't play the game.
The game is to try and get us to pull Pete Hegseth.
Because if they can get you to do it for one person...
Then these cancellation, deplatforming, mongoloid orcs with their little bot armies will do it for everyone, right?
They can get everyone.
They can get everyone.
If they can get Kavanaugh, if they can get Trump, if they can get Hegseth, they'll take them all down, right?
The system works if we allow it to work.
If we cower to it and kneel to it.
Like groveling slaves.
So we're not going to kneel, ladies and gentlemen.
We're going to defend Pete Hegseth as we have done.
We're going to use muscularly this program to defend not only free speech, but also good old humor and also a reformed man.
Pete Hegseth is a Christian.
Let me tell you a little something about the position of this program as I am a Christian and do a little Bible verse at the end of every single show.
Let me express something very clearly to you.
I'm a sinner, and I'm in need of redemption constantly and every single day, including, but not limited to, my drives to work every morning.
I mean, this is like, come on.
And that is the approach that I come at this landscape that we present to you on this program, which is that I'm not going to sit here and hall monitor, sneer, and snark.
And finger-wag Pete Hegseth because he did something naughty 10 years ago.
His relationship with God is his business.
I am required, ladies and gentlemen, as a Christian to be totally and completely humbled in my own abundance of forgiveness and to let God be the judge.
And if you have a problem...
With cavorting with sinners and breaking bread with sinners, you're going to have a tough time reading the New Testament.
Okay?
You're going to have a real tough time in life.
So, grow up.
Grow a spine.
Get a helmet.
Life's tough.
Reality is brutal.
And it's time to unite, ladies and gentlemen, and win.
Pete Hegseth is the most endangered of Trump's cabinet choices.
Because of weak Republicans, not because of the left.
Because of weak Republicans that quiver when the left uses these tactics against them.
And they are useful in missiles.
The GOP allies are determined to turn Hegseth into a cause celeb for Trump's governing approach amid national culture wars.
Outside groups, including those aligned with the Heritage Foundation, are running a costly campaign to prop up Hegseth's bid.
Ladies and gentlemen, let's rock and roll.
He will be ripped, he will be demeaned, and he will be talked about, says Senator Tommy Tuberville.
At an event, former Navy SEALs and Army Special Forces Marine supporting nominee.
We're going to get him across the finish line.
Hearing at the Senate Armed Services Committee is going to start a week-long marathon of senators being scrutinized of Trump cabinet choices.
For more than a dozen of the top administrative positions, the Republican-led Senate.
Is rushing to have some of Trump's picks ready to be confirmed as soon as Inauguration Day, despite potential opposition to some from both sides of the aisle.
We're going to grind them down, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on Fox News Channel.
See, look at that.
eric schmitt
Look at this.
benny johnson
You even saw this last week when I had a couple senators on.
I can't remember who it was.
I am one.
To practice my Christian faith and to say that I will allow John Thune to be a changed man, even though John Thune is up here with tweets constantly praising the January 6th committee, saying Donald Trump needs to drop out because he said naughty things.
unidentified
Oh, not naughty.
benny johnson
It's amazing.
Tucker's up with a podcast, an interview of Billy Bush.
Billy Bush talking about exactly how that op worked against Donald Trump and how they sat on these tapes in order to use them and weaponize them.
And leak them to individuals that they knew would write the worst possible commentary on it.
Explode it.
Try and destroy Donald Trump.
unidentified
It's sick.
benny johnson
These people are sick.
They're demons.
Don't give in to demons.
Have strength, cowards.
Ladies and gentlemen, we grant full pardon.
What do I?
I grant full pardon to John Thune.
Everybody needs forgiveness.
I need forgiveness.
So John Thune, we're gonna just like pretty much judge you by what you do.
It's very important.
We're just gonna see how it rolls, right?
But it's why I was against John Thune for leader anyway.
Hexeth faces perhaps the most difficult path to confirmation.
He'll be forced to confront allegations of sexual assault, which he has denied.
His own comments that are far from military mainstream, though he has support for some veterans groups and say that his past indiscretions...
Or not part of his focus on improving military readiness and fight.
Hegseth will have answers for his comments.
Women should straight up not be in combat roles.
A view that he softened following meetings with Joni Ernst and Tammy Duckworth.
Well, there you go.
All right, ladies and gentlemen.
We have some breaking news.
Hegseth has arrived on Capitol Hill.
We have that.
unidentified
clip let's show it he takes at the moment ago arriving with his wife jen walking down the hallway they're heading into a hearing that will begin in about seven minutes time dana And when it does begin, you're going to hear from Roger Wicker, the chairman from Mississippi.
He'll chair it.
Jack Reeves, the ranking Democrat on the committee out of Rhode Island.
Opening statements from Michael Waltz.
Opening statements from Norm Coleman.
Opening statements from Pete Hegseth, which Republican Senator Dan Sullivan told us a moment ago, is a striking statement, and we will want to hear that as we listen together.
benny johnson
All right, ladies and gentlemen.
You can see him there.
You can also see our friend, We got the Art of the Surge walking as Tucker, his former producer, Justin Wells, with his cameraman right there.
There you go.
So it looks like they're going to be doing a full documentary on this.
Oh, this is going to be juicy.
Let's get to the veterans group before the hearings start.
There are thousands of veterans who have stormed Capitol Hill, peacefully.
And are there to support Pete Hegseth.
Here we go.
brian kilmeade
You're looking now at what we just referred to.
The veterans have shown up on their own volition, on their own dime, as usual, because they want everyone to know what Pete being Secretary of Defense would mean.
And there's something else that's going to be coming out shortly, and I don't know why it's not out.
Recruiting's going through the roof.
Because they know what it is like having a young man fresh off the battlefield, still putting on the uniform when he is needed stateside and fighting.
And he'll finally have a warfighter at the Pentagon.
And they want everyone to know what it would mean.
Because after Afghanistan, they ran for the hills.
And that is veterans telling their kids, don't join this military.
They have changed that rhetoric since Pete's nomination.
benny johnson
Ladies and gentlemen, I want to give you a live shot here of Pete Hegseth getting sworn.
Let's go.
Let's pop it up.
Pete Hegseth getting sworn in.
No audio yet.
Just the photo op here.
Ladies and gentlemen, there you go.
This is Pete Hegseth getting the cameras, getting the cell phones ready, the room completely stacked with veterans.
Very soon, ladies and gentlemen, we will begin very, very soon.
unidentified
Okay, yes, that's right.
roger wicker
The Committee on Armed Services has convened this hearing to consider the pending nomination of Mr. Pete Hexeth to be Secretary of Defense.
And at this point, in light of the continued suffering and death in and around Los Angeles, California, I'm going to ask my colleagues And those in the audience to observe a moment of silence.
unidentified
So...
roger wicker
Amen.
Thank you.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank my good friend Amen.
Thank you.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank My good friend, ranking member Jack Reed, this is my first opportunity to chair this committee in this Congress.
I want to thank Senator Reed under his chairmanship.
He proved time after time that he cares deeply about national security and about the United States of America, and particularly the men and women who wear the uniform and stand watch both here and around the world to protect the United States.
Senator Reid, I want to thank you for the many courtesies that you have extended to me in the past, and I look forward to working with you again in a bipartisan fashion this Congress.
It's also appropriate to recognize and welcome three senators attending their very first Senate Armed Service Committee hearing as members.
Senator Banks of Indiana, Senator Sheehy of Montana and Senator Slotkin of Michigan.
We're excited to have you as committee colleagues and look forward to many important contributions from each of you.
And Senator Slotkin, as I look down at the end of the dais there, it seems that only a week or two ago I was sitting in that very chair being recognized by the chairman.
Of the committee, the distinguished senator from Michigan.
So time flies.
Now, let me say this.
We had a very appropriate expression of approval by the members of the audience as our nominee and his family walked in.
The distinguished ranking member and I sincerely hope that that is the last signal of approval or disapproval in today's hearing.
People of the public are here.
They're welcome to observe today's hearing.
And Senator Reid and I agree, though, that no disruptions will be allowed.
May not verbally or physically distract from the hearing to include shouting, standing, or raising signage or gestures that block the view of the audience.
And we're very serious about this, aren't we, Mr. Reid?
Absolutely, sir.
Those who do so will be immediately escorted from the room.
So, again, welcome to the witnesses, to his friends, and to interested members of the public.
If confirmed, Mr. Pete Hexeth would assume the role in a moment of consequence.
The United States faces the most dangerous security environment since World War II.
We're witnessing the explosive growth and reach of China's hard power.
We're also observing the emergence of an axis of aggressors.
That coalition is characterized by broadening and deepening military cooperation among the dictatorships ruling China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.
Terrorism remains a threat.
as Israel wages war against Hamas and Hezbollah, and as the Assad regime collapses in Syria.
America has entered a window of maximum danger, and the department needs energetic and focused civilian leadership.
Those values begin at the top with the Secretary of Defense.
Many of my distinguished colleagues have served in a significant tenure on this committee, and our meetings are fairly long we should reflect Has the civilian leadership of the Pentagon under the administration of both parties proven up to the challenge?
Often the answer has been no.
The civilian leadership has not built the Department of Defense to meet the moment.
And this is our moment to correct that.
A few examples illustrate how...
Leaders in the past have fallen short.
Most of the department's signature programs run years behind schedule and billions of dollars over cost.
Vital initiatives have suffered, such as the F-35, the new Sentinel ICBM, and the Navy's shipbuilding program, including the Constellation-class frigate.
The Department of Defense desperately needs civilian leaders who listen to the advice of combatant commanders, many of whom would benefit from innovative systems.
Yet a risk-averse DOD culture has kept too many promising technologies on the wrong side of the so-called valley of death.
That tenuous period between experimental prototypes and production contracts.
Defense companies backed by venture capital receive less than 1% of defense contracts.
As we all know, the Pentagon still cannot even pass an audit.
The department must simplify and streamline its bureaucracy so it can respond to innovation.
Staffs have ballooned.
Organizations are top-heavy.
Civilian leaders have promised time and again to slim down the bureaucracy, and perhaps genuinely hoped to.
Every day, men and women in uniform make tremendous contributions to U.S. security.
They and the American people deserve a Pentagon that does the same.
Today's Department of Defense is no longer prepared for great power competition.
It is not a national defense institution ready to achieve and sustain technological supremacy across the range of operations.
Admittedly, this nomination is unconventional.
The nominee is unconventional.
Just like that New York developer.
Who rode down the escalator in 2015 to announce his candidacy for president.
That may be what makes Mr. Hegseth an excellent choice to improve this unacceptable status quo that I just described.
He is a decorated post-9 /11 combat veteran.
He will inject a new warrior ethos into the Pentagon, a spirit that can cascade from the top down.
Mr. Hexeth will bring energy and fresh ideas to shake up the bureaucracy.
He will focus relentlessly on the warfighter and the military's core missions, deterring wars and winning the ones we must fight.
He will bring a swift end to corrosive distractions such as DEI.
Today, many simply acknowledge and live with the systemic problems I have mentioned earlier in acquisition, accountability.
Mr. Hexeth will actually move to fix these issues decisively.
In short, I'm confident that Mr. Hexeth, supported by a team of experienced top officials, will get the job done.
The Secretary of Defense is an incredibly important position, but the Secretary's span of control is limited.
The Pentagon is vast with 3 million plus personnel.
Uniform civilian and contractor.
A successful secretary understands that steering the ship means focusing his attention on strategic level priorities.
The secretary must be supported with exceptional subordinates who will run the day-to-day affairs of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the military services, and the other DOD components.
I'm also confident that as an infantryman...
Mr. Hexeth understands the military principle of commander's intent.
Communicate the clear objective, empower subordinates to use initiative and judgment, and hold everybody accountable.
We must not underestimate the importance of having a top-shelf communicator as Secretary of Defense.
Other than the president, no official plays a larger role in telling the men and women in uniform, the Congress, and the public about the threats we face and the need for a peace through strength defense policy.
I have no doubt Mr. Hexeth will excel in a skill in which many of his predecessors have fallen short.
Much has been made of both Mr. Hexeth's personal life and some of his policy pronouncements.
Regarding his personal conduct, Mr. Hexeth has admitted to falling short.
As we all do from time to time.
It is noteworthy that the vast majority of the accusations leveled at Mr. Hegseth have come from anonymous sources.
Contrast these anonymous accusations with the many public letters of support and commendation.
We have seen letters from people who served with Mr. Hegseth.
These individuals have worked with him professionally.
They really know him and his character.
These patriotic Americans have been willing to put their names and reputations on the line to support Mr. Hexeth.
I look forward to sharing these testimonials with the American people.
Let me mention one right now.
It comes from David Bellavia, who earned the Medal of Honor for heroic actions in combat in Fallujah, Iraq.
David Bellavia writes the following.
Pete is fearless, unflappable, and confronts conflicts head-own.
He's a leader to the core.
When Pete is confirmed as the next Secretary of Defense of the United States of America, this country will finally know the privilege of having a true ambassador able to speak on behalf of this generation and its two-decade global war on terror.
Washington doesn't build men like Pete.
Combat builds men like Pete.
As I said, there are more letters expressing the same endorsement.
Today, we'll hear from the nominee directly.
I want to thank Mr. Hegseth, as well as his loved ones, for being here today.
I look forward to discussing his nomination.
I look forward to hearing from Mr. Hegseth about the ways he hopes to rebuild the American strength that secures the peace.
And so now I turn to my friend and colleague, Ranking Member Reid, for his opening remarks.
jack reed
Well, thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
I'd like to first congratulate you on your chairmanship.
I look forward to continuing our committee's strong tradition of bipartisanship and collaboration, and thank you for your thoughtful and conscious service to the committee over many years.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
I'd also like to take a moment to join Chairman Wicker in welcoming our new members, Senator Slotkin, Senator Banks, and Senator Sheehy.
Welcome.
We look forward to working with you.
Mr. Hegseth, I welcome you and your family to today's hearing, and I'm also glad to recognize my former colleague, Norm Coleman, and Congressman Mike Walsh.
Thank you, Congressman.
Mr. Hegseth, I want to begin by saying that I respect and appreciate your military service in the Army National Guard.
I know from experience that there is no greater privilege than to lead American soldiers, and I thank you for answering the call.
You have been nominated to be the Secretary of Defense.
The Secretary is responsible for leading a department of 3.5 million service members and civilians, an annual budget of nearly $900 billion, and hundreds of thousands of aircraft, ships, submarines, combat vehicles, satellites, and the nuclear arsenal.
The Secretary also plays a powerful role with our allies, partners, and adversaries abroad.
And as we speak, China is seeking to undermine our interests, intimidate our friends, and challenge our standing in the world.
Russia's campaign against Ukraine threatens not only Europe, but the entire global order.
Ongoing violence in the Middle East has teetered on the edge of all-out war, and the ideologies and actions of violent extremists endanger our citizens, even on our own soil, as the recent tragedy in New Orleans painfully reminds us.
These are perilous times.
And the position of Secretary of Defense demands a leader of unparalleled experience, wisdom, and above all else, character.
The Secretary is expected to be a fair, nonpartisan, and responsible leader, as well as a trustworthy advocate for the men and women that he leads.
Mr. Hague said, I do not believe that you are qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this job.
We must acknowledge the concerning public reports against you.
A variety of sources, including your own writings, implicate you with disregarding the laws of war, financial mismanagement, racist and sexist remarks about men and women in uniform, alcohol abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and other troubling issues.
I've reviewed many of these allegations and find them extremely alarming.
Indeed, the totality of your own writings and alleged conduct would disqualify any service member from holding any leadership position in the military, much less being confirmed as the Secretary of Defense.
Nonetheless, I understand that you reject many of these reports as they involve whistleblowers, nondisclosure agreements, and anonymous, although numerous, sources, including those who have faced political intimidation for sharing their experiences.
I hope you will address each of these allegations thoroughly and truthfully during your testimony.
Just as importantly, I hope you will pledge to prevent any repercussions for whistleblowers, both civilian and military, if confirmed.
Mr. Hickseth, during our meeting last week, you said that if confirmed, your top priority would be, quote, restoring a warrior culture to the Department of Defense, because you believe the U.S. military has been weakened by political correctness.
Over the years, you have made clear your opinion of the military's diversity initiatives.
As you have said, "Diversity is not our strength, unity is." And on a recent podcast, you said, "I'm straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles." When I joined the Army as a young officer in the 1970s, the U.S. military was rife with racial tension.
Women were prohibited from serving in most roles.
Gay service members were banned, and we relied on a national draft to fill our ranks.
The soldiers I served with were proud to do so, but it was certainly not the nation's most capable military by any standard.
We have made great progress since then.
Today, the department of defense is fully integrated.
Every race and religion is accepted.
Women serve in all combat roles and leadership positions.
Sexual orientation is irrelevant to service.
And the all-volunteer force visibly reflects the nation it protects.
Our military is more diverse than it has ever been, but more importantly, it is more lethal than it has ever been.
This is not a coincidence.
Mr. Hegstead, I hope you'll explain why you believe such diversity is making the military weak and how you propose to undo that without undermining military leadership and harming readiness, recruitment, and retention.
Mr. Hexen, another reason I'm deeply concerned about your nomination is your disregard for the law of armed conflict and your support for service members who have been convicted of war crimes.
You have championed the pardoning of military members who were turned in by their fellow soldiers and SEALs.
And let me emphasize that.
They weren't discovered by reporters.
They were turned in by fellow soldiers and fellow SEALs.
And also pardoning of military contractors convicted of killing 14 Iraqi citizens without course.
You have also advocated for the restitution of interrogation methods like waterboarding that have been defined as torture, and you have belittled the advice and counsel of Judge Advocates General while on deployment.
In your book, The War on Warriors, you write, quote, Warriors are forced to follow rules arbitrarily and asked to sacrifice more lives so that international tribunals feel better about themselves.
Aren't we just better off in winning our wars according to our own rules?
Mr. Hexett, I would ask that you explain how you, if confirmed, would maintain good order and discipline within our forces and the support of our allies and partners by rejecting international law and the law of war.
I'm also concerned about your abilities as a competent manager of organizations far less complex than the Department of Defense.
From 2008 to 2010, you led the organization Veterans for Freedom, which had an annual budget of less than $10 million.
In each year you were in charge, expenses far exceeded revenues until the organization teetered on bankruptcy and had to be merged with another group.
In fact, according to public reporting, An independent forensic accountant reviewed the organization's finances and discovered evidence of gross financial mismanagement.
I would note that this report has not been made available to any government agencies, which is, I think, alarming.
But a Republican advisor to you during your tenure at the organization who read the report stated, and I quote, "I watched him run an organization very poorly." Lose the confidence of donors, the organization ultimately folded and was forced to merge with another organization who individuals felt could run and manage funds on behalf of donors more responsibly than he could.
I don't know how he's going to run an organization with an $857 billion budget and 3 million individuals.
And that is the only comment we've had and the only access we've had to the forensic report.
A similar thing happened with the Concerned Veterans for America, a second veterans group that you led from 2011 until 2016.
During those five years, tax records show that the organization spent more than it raised.
Just as troubling are reports that a significant amount of debt was incurred from social events and parties filled with excessive drinking and questionable personal behavior.
Mr. Hicks said, I hope you will explain what actions you will take if confirmed.
to be a better steward of Defense Department's large budget.
Finally, while I appreciate our meeting last week, it is unacceptable that you did not meet with any other Democratic members of this committee before this hearing, as has been our bipartisan tradition.
During my time in the Senate, I have voted for and worked closely with Secretary of Defense appointed by Republican presidents.
While we may disagree politically, there was always an understanding that rank partisanship should have no place when it comes to providing for the men and women who serve in uniform.
And Mr. Hegg said, I am troubled by the many comments you have made, both as a commentator and in your published writings.
For example, in your book, American Crusade, you wrote, quote, who represent the soul of the modern Democratic Party literally hate the foundational ideas of America.
You also wrote the other side, the left, is not our friend.
We are not esteemed colleagues nor mere political opponents.
We are foes.
Either we win or they win.
We agree on nothing else.
Mr. Higgs, if you confirmed as Secretary of Defense, you would lead an organization that, like the country it represents, is composed of Democrats and Republicans.
Yet, your language suggests that you regard many of these men and women as foes.
And I would ask you to explain why service members and civilians who do not share your political opinions can trust that they will not be targeted during your tenure.
Indeed, the challenge of the Secretary of Defense is to remove partisan politics from the military.
You propose to inject it.
This would be an insult to the men and women who have sworn to uphold their own apolitical duty to the Constitution.
Mr. Hegstead, you are the ninth nominee for Secretary of Defense that I've had the honor to consider as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
I have voted in favor of all your predecessors, including those in the first Trump administration.
unidentified
Unfortunately...
jack reed
You lack the character and composure and competence to hold the position of Secretary of Defense.
Thank you.
roger wicker
Thank you, Senator Reid.
And now it's my privilege and honor and pleasure to recognize two witnesses who have come forward to introduce our nominee.
First, I recognize my former Colleague and former Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota for the purpose of an introduction.
Norm, we are glad to see you and glad to have you back, and you are recognized for the introduction.
unidentified
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, rank member Reed, members of the committee, my former colleagues.
I'm honored to introduce a son of Minnesota to you, Pete Hegseth.
As a senator from Minnesota, I spent many hours with this young man.
As he walked the halls of Congress advocating on behalf of America's veterans.
And he is young in the best sense of the word.
He is strong, focused, intelligent, incisive, a great listener, and is almost supernaturally energetic.
Just what we need in a Secretary of Defense in times of massive change.
He is the real deal.
F. Scott Fitzgerald was a writer in my city of St. Paul.
And so the problem with America is that there are no second acts.
He was wrong.
Pete was a brave soldier, has been an able communicator, and I believe is about to begin a great second act as our Secretary of Defense.
He has struggled and overcome great personal challenges.
Please don't give into the cynical notion that people can't change.
We need the ones who can change to lead us, to be beacons of hope, and to remind us that grace can lead us home.
Four years ago, President Biden's nominee, Lloyd Austin, a good and honorable man, received 97 votes on the floor of the Senate.
And we went through the debacle of the Afghanistan withdrawal.
Putin invaded Ukraine.
The Houthis endangered our shipping lanes.
We witnessed Israeli miracles against America's enemies in the Middle East, where the United States was more of an impediment than a help.
Our recruitment numbers have sunk dramatically, and our southern border has suffered a slow...
Yes, Pete Hegseth is an out-of-the-box nominee, and I say it's high time to get out of the box.
One more thought.
The country longs for a government of less division and more respect and dignity.
My hope is that this committee hearing provides what they are asking for.
Disagree?
Yes.
Strongly if necessary.
But then come together to support the nominee.
This nominee, Pete Hegseth, of the one president we have at a time, laying aside partisan politics for the essential mission of national security upon which everything else depends.
Mr. Chairman, I yield.
roger wicker
Thank you, Norm.
I do appreciate that and appreciate your presence today.
I now have the honor and pleasure of introducing Congressman Walz.
I understand...
Congressman, you are still a member of the House for another day or two.
michael walz
Another day or two.
roger wicker
Okay, and I now recognize Congressman Walz for whatever opening statement and introduction he might make.
michael walz
Thank you, Chairman Wicker, and Chairman has a very nice ring to it, so congratulations, Ranking Member Reed, distinguished members of this committee.
It is a privilege to appear before you today and urge the members of this committee to confirm Pete Hegseth as our next Secretary of Defense.
And I'm not here today just to advocate on behalf of a future colleague.
But to speak on behalf of someone I consider a dear friend for over a decade now.
Like Pete, I served in the U.S. Army.
Like Pete, I'm a veteran.
We deployed to Afghanistan and all over the world at the height of the War on Terror, which is the war of our generation.
And like thousands of other war fighters, we've witnessed the hardships of war.
We've experienced the loss of friends in combat.
We've endured too much time away from family and friends, and no one, I can promise you this, no one hates war more than those who have had to go fight it.
No one does.
Pete's story, though, isn't that much different from the millions of other veterans, and they know it, and they appreciate him for the experiences that he's gone through.
And after our country was brutally attacked on 9-11, Pete Hegseth answered the call of duty like so many others.
He put the interests of this country ahead of his own.
And I can tell you firsthand, as can the heroes sitting in this audience behind me.
Pete's character of country, his selflessness, his duty, these are the key tenets that have shaped him into the leader that he is today.
These are the traits that President Trump recognized when making the decision to nominate Pete for this critical role.
He will bring the perspective of being the first Secretary of Defense to have served as a junior officer on the front lines, not in the headquarters, on the front lines in the war on terror, and recognizes the human costs, the financial costs, and the policy drift that was discussed often in this very room.
That led us to decades and decades of war.
So not only does he understand the threats he faces, but as the chairman mentioned, he is brilliant, in my mind, at communicating those to the American people in a way that is often not communicated in Washington, D.C., to reach out to the American people so that they understand why the military needs to do what it needs to do.
And, look, I have no doubt.
That he is going to get the Pentagon back to its primary mission, lethal readiness.
That warrior ethos is what our enemies will respect.
That warrior ethos is what our enemies will fear.
And it's that warrior ethos that will keep the peace.
And ladies and gentlemen, in my humble opinion, our military deserves better than it's getting.
Our country faces a devastating recruitment crisis.
Men and women are not volunteering to serve at the levels required.
Our readiness is down.
Our costs are up.
And it seems like nearly every major weapons system, again, often discussed in this very room, is costing too much, delivering too little, and taking way too long.
The bottom line is the status quo is unacceptable.
It's not working.
And the members of this committee, you all know it.
You know it's not working.
And the members of the House Armed Services know it's not working.
And we have hearing after hearing, year after year.
And here we are, decades later, describing the same problems.
The Pentagon has continuously failed audits.
The businesses that want to do business with the Pentagon have to pass an audit.
But the entity itself fails an audit.
Innovation has stalled.
Morale is down.
Standards have been weakened.
And meritocracy is less valued.
And as a result, our adversaries have been emboldened all over the world.
Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for change.
It is time for change.
You all have literally seen thousands of veterans as the chairman cited one amazing Medal of Honor recipient.
But we have seen thousands of veterans expressing their support for Pete.
This is a man who can reinvigorate that warrior ethos, and this is a man that will lead.
I can't imagine having a more capable partner in my position as National Security Advisor.
Pete is a man of family, of faith, and he's committed to making our country stronger again.
And most importantly, brother, I know this in my core, he will always have as a first principal the service members.
That are out there on the front lines for all of us at the heart of every decision he makes.
So, Senators, I urge you to support this confirmation.
It is critical that President Trump has his national security team in place for the challenges ahead.
And I thank you.
roger wicker
Thank you, Mike, for your testimony.
And I'm guessing that each and every member of this committee will want to have you on speed dial for...
The next few years.
Thank you both.
Our two guests may stay, or I know they have other engagements and responsibilities also, but thank you both for your testimony.
At this point, Mr. Hexeth, I'm required to ask you as nominee a series of questions that the committee asks all civilian nominees who appear before it.
If you would, please simply respond in the affirmative or negative to each question.
Have you adhered to applicable laws and regulations?
Yes, sir.
would appear to presume the outcome of the confirmation process?
pete hegseth
No sir.
roger wicker
Exercising our legislative and oversight responsibilities makes it important that this committee, It's subcommittees and other appropriate committees of Congress receive testimony, briefings, reports, records, and other information from the executive branch on a timely basis.
Do you agree if confirmed to appear and testify before this committee when requested?
pete hegseth
Yes, sir.
roger wicker
Do you agree to provide records, documents, and electronic communications in a timely manner when requested by this committee, its subcommittees?
or other appropriate committees of Congress and to consult with the requester regarding the basis for any good faith delay or denial in providing such records.
pete hegseth
Yes, sir.
roger wicker
Will you ensure that your staff complies with deadlines established by this committee for the production of reports, records, and other information, including timely responding to hearing questions for the record?
pete hegseth
Yes, sir.
roger wicker
Will you cooperate in providing witnesses and briefers in response to congressional requests?
pete hegseth
Yes, sir.
roger wicker
Will those witnesses and briefers be protected from reprisal for their testimony or briefings?
pete hegseth
Yes, sir.
roger wicker
All right.
So at this point, Mr. Hegseth, you'll recognize for your opening statement.
pete hegseth
Well, thank you, Chairman Wicker, Ranking Member Reed, and all the members of this committee for this opportunity today.
I'm grateful for and have learned a great deal from this advice and consent process.
Our founders knew what they were doing.
Should I be confirmed, I look forward to working with this committee, senators from both parties, to secure our nation.
I want to thank the former senator from Minnesota, Norm Coleman, for his mentorship and friendship in this process.
And the incoming National Security Advisor, Congressman, and more importantly for our purposes, Colonel Mike Walz for his powerful words.
I'm grateful to them both.
Thank you to my incredible wife, Jennifer, who has changed my life and been with me throughout this entire process.
I love you, sweetheart, and I thank God for you.
And as Jenny and I pray together every morning, All glory, regardless of the outcome, belongs to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
His grace and mercy abounds each day.
May his will be done.
Thank you to my father, Brian, and mother, Penny, as well as our entire family, including our seven wonderful kids, Gunner, Jackson, Peter Boone, Kensington, Luke, Rex.
Sorry, it's a lot of them.
And Gwendolyn.
Their future safety and security is in all of our hands.
And to all the troops and veterans watching and here in the room, Navy SEALs, Green Berets, soldiers, pilots, sailors, Marines, Gold Stars and more, too many friends to name.
Officers, enlisted, black and white, young and old, men and women, all Americans, all warriors.
This hearing is for you.
Thank you for figuratively and literally having my back.
unidentified
Shut up!
benny johnson
Shut up!
How did Joe Biden sneak in here?
unidentified
How'd he do it?
roger wicker
I want to thank the authorities for their swift reaction to that outburst.
And, uh, State that similar interruptions will be treated in like manner.
Mr. Hexeth, you may continue.
pete hegseth
Well, as I'll say again, thank you for figuratively and literally having my back.
I pledge to do the same for all of you.
It's an honor to come before this committee today as President Donald Trump's nominee for the Office of Secretary of Defense.
Two months ago, 77 million Americans gave President Trump a powerful mandate for change, to put America first, at home and abroad.
I want to thank President Trump for his faith in me and his selfless leadership for our republic.
The troops have no better commander-in-chief than Donald Trump.
As I've said to many of you in private meetings, when President Trump chose me for this position, the primary charge he gave me...
Was to bring the warrior culture back to the Department of Defense.
He, like me, wants a Pentagon laser-focused on lethality, meritocracy, warfighting, accountability, and readiness.
benny johnson
Who let Kamala Harris into the hearing?
How'd they let Kamala in?
unidentified
Who let Kamala?
benny johnson
Kamala!
roger wicker
You may continue, sir.
benny johnson
Hitting the sauce.
pete hegseth
Returning the Pentagon back to warfighting?
That's it.
That's my job.
roger wicker
Mr. Hexeth, suspend your remarks.
Let me just say this.
The Capitol Police are going to remove immediately individuals that are disrupting the hearing.
I see a pattern.
We've attempted to be inflicted on the committee, and we're simply not going to tolerate that.
You may proceed.
pete hegseth
To bring back warfighting, if confirmed, I'm going to work with President Trump and this committee to, one, restore the warrior ethos.
To the Pentagon and throughout our fighting force.
In doing so, we will re-establish trust in our military.
Addressing the recruiting crisis, the retention crisis, and readiness crisis in our ranks.
roger wicker
Members of the security force will remove members.
benny johnson
Goodness gracious!
What a bunch of lunatics!
roger wicker
Mr. Heseth, you may.
pete hegseth
The strength of our military is our unity and our shared purpose, not our differences.
Number two, we're going to rebuild our military, always matching threats to capabilities.
This includes reviving our defense industrial base, reforming the acquisitions process.
As you mentioned, Mr. Chairman, no more valley of death.
For new defense companies, modernizing our nuclear triad, ensuring the Pentagon can pass an audit, and rapidly fielding emerging technologies.
And number three, we're going to reestablish deterrence.
First and foremost, we will defend our homeland, our borders, and our skies.
Second, we will work with our partners and allies to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific from the Communist Chinese.
And finally, we will responsibly end wars to ensure that we prioritize our resources to reorient to larger threats.
We can no longer count on reputational deterrence.
We need real deterrence.
The Department of Defense under Donald Trump will achieve peace through strength.
And in pursuing these America First national security goals will remain patriotically apolitical.
And stridently constitutional.
Unlike the current administration, politics should play no part in military matters.
We are not Republicans.
We are not Democrats.
We are American warriors.
Our standards will be high and they will be equal, not equitable.
That's a very different word.
We need to make sure every warrior is fully qualified on their assigned weapons system, every pilot's fully qualified and current on the aircraft they are flying, and every general or flag officer is selected for leadership or promotion purely based on performance, readiness, and merit.
Leaders at all levels will be held accountable, and warfighting and lethality and the readiness of the troops and their families This has been my focus ever since I first put on the uniform as a young Army ROTC cadet at Princeton University in 2001.
I joined the military because I love my country and felt an obligation to defend it.
I served with incredible Americans in Guantanamo Bay, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and on the streets of Washington, D.C., many of which Are with me here today.
This includes enlisted soldiers I helped become American citizens.
And Muslim allies I helped immigrate from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Because when I took off the uniform, my mission never stopped.
Now, it is true and has been acknowledged that I don't have a similar biography to defense secretaries of the last 30 years.
But as President Trump also told me, we've repeatedly placed people atop the Pentagon with supposedly the right credentials, whether they are retired generals, academics, or defense contractor executives.
And where has it gotten us?
He believes, and I humbly agree, that it's time to give someone with dust on his boots the helm.
A change agent.
Someone with no vested interest in certain companies or specific programs or approved narratives.
My only special interest is the warfighter.
Deterring wars and, if called upon, winning wars by ensuring our warriors never enter a fair fight.
We let them win and we bring them home.
Like many of my generation, I've been there.
I've led troops in combat.
I've been on patrol for days.
I've pulled the trigger downrange, heard bullets whizzed by, flex-cuffed insurgents, called in close air support, led medevacs, dodged IEDs, pulled out dead bodies, and knelt before a battlefield cross.
This is not academic for me.
This is my life.
I led then, and I will lead now.
Ask anyone who's ever worked for me or with me.
I know what I don't know.
My success as a leader, and I very much look forward to discussing my organization's successes at Vets for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America.
I'm incredibly proud of the work that we've done.
But my success as a leader has always been setting a clear vision, hiring people smarter and more capable than me, empowering them to succeed, holding everyone accountable, And driving toward clear metrics.
Build the plan, work the plan, and then work harder than everyone else around you.
I've sworn an oath to the Constitution before, and if confirmed, I will proudly do it again.
This time, for the most important deployment of my life.
I pledge to be a faithful partner to this committee, taking input and respecting oversight.
We share the same goals.
A ready, lethal military, the health and well-being of our troops, and a strong and secure America.
Thank you for the time, and I look forward to your questions.
roger wicker
Thank you very much, Mr. Hegseth.
Before we begin with member questions, I would like to remind my colleagues that, consistent with the bipartisan staff agreement from December, And in concert with exactly how this committee dealt with the last Secretary of Defense nominee, each member will be recognized for one round of seven minutes to question the nominee.
Out of respect for the time of all members of this committee, the time limits will be tightly enforced.
We've now been here 45 minutes and I think we've done very well with the time, but at this point I will begin my questioning of The nominee.
Mr. Hecksis, you and your family have endured criticism of your nomination since it was announced in November.
Let's get into this allegation about sexual assault, inappropriate workplace behavior, alcohol abuse, and financial mismanagement during your time as a nonprofit executive.
I should note that the majority of these have come from anonymous sources in Liberal media publications, but I want to give you an opportunity to respond to these allegations, sir.
pete hegseth
Mr. Chairman, thank you for that opportunity.
You are correct.
We undertook this responsibility with an obligation to the troops to do right by them for our warfighters.
And what became very evident to us from the beginning, there was a coordinated...
And what we knew is that it wasn't about me.
Most of it was about President Donald Trump, who's had to endure the very same thing for much longer amounts of time.
And he endured it in incredibly strong ways.
So we, in some ways, knew it was coming.
We didn't understand the depth of the dishonesty that would come with it.
So from story after story in the media...
Left-wing media.
We saw anonymous source after anonymous source based on second or third-hand accounts.
And time and time again, stories would come out and people would reach out to me and say, you know, I've spoken to this reporter about who you really are and I was willing to go on the record.
But they didn't print my quote.
They didn't print any of my quotes.
Or I've worked with you for 10 years, or I was your accountant, or I was your chief operating officer, or I was your board member, or I was with you on a hundred different tour stops for Concerned Veterans for America.
No one called me.
No one asked about your conduct on the record or off the record.
Instead, a small handful of anonymous sources We're allowed to drive a smear campaign and agenda about me because our left-wing media in America today, sadly, doesn't care about the truth.
All they were out to do, Mr. Chairman, was to destroy me.
And why do they want to destroy me?
Because I'm a change agent and a threat to them because Donald Trump was willing to choose me, to empower me, to bring the Defense Department back to what it really should be, which is warfighting.
So I'm willing to endure these attacks.
But what I will do is stand up for the truth and for my reputation.
False attacks, anonymous attacks, repeated ad nauseum, printed as nauseum, as facts, we have provided to the committee, Mr. Chairman, and I know you're going to share, on the record statement after on the record statement from people who have served with me, worked with me at Fox News, Concerned Vets, Vets for Freedom, you name it, from the top of the chain to the bottom.
Who will say I treat them with respect, with kindness, with dignity?
That's men, that's women, that's black, that's white, that's every background.
I have prided myself as a leader of respecting people, being professional.
That is the balance of mind.
I'm not a perfect person, as has been acknowledged.
Saved by the grace of God, by Jesus and Jenny.
I'm not a perfect person, but redemption is real.
And God forged me in ways that I know I'm prepared for.
And I'm honored by the people standing and sitting behind me and look forward to leading this Pentagon on behalf of the warfighters.
roger wicker
Thank you, Mr. Hexeth.
And frankly, I'm sure there are millions of Americans watching who would agree that they've experienced that same sort of redemption.
So I do appreciate that.
I realize that it involves a little bearing of the soul, but thank you for that.
Now let's talk about...
Top-line defense spending.
I have a plan.
I think you've read it.
I've issued another plan, Freedom's Forge, which you've also had a chance to look at.
And you have noted correctly that the current trend line of defense spending, falling below 3% of our GDP, is a threat to national security.
You also said building the strongest and most powerful military in the world must be done responsibly.
But it cannot be done on the cheap.
You still agree with that, do you not?
pete hegseth
Yes, sir, I do.
roger wicker
So, tell us what you think about, particularly about my plan to make the Defense Department less bureaucratic, less top-heavy, cut out some of the bureaucracy and layers, make it more friendly to startups and to new ideas.
Contained in my 20 or so page white paper, Defending Freedoms Forge.
pete hegseth
Senator, I've had a chance to review the Forged Act, that paper.
Those are precisely the kinds of ideas that need to be pursued.
And I look forward to working with this committee to ensure we cut the red tape, we incentivize innovation, we rebuild the defense industrial base, cut out the bureaucracy, all the things that are preventing the platforms and the tools from getting rapidly from our...
Great defense companies here that should, and those that want to compete, into the hands of warfighters.
But past his prologue on this, sir, I would just look at what President Trump did after the drawdowns of lead from behind under President Obama.
President Trump rebuilt our military.
He didn't start wars, he ended them.
And he didn't allow wars to start on his watch.
We've had the same kind of defense cuts under the Biden administration.
And so, look, I would present to the committee the reputation of President Donald Trump and me coming alongside him to ensure we have peace through strength by rebuilding our military, investing as necessary.
Going under 3%, Mr. Chairman, is very dangerous.
roger wicker
Okay, we've got 45 seconds.
Tell us, in that point, get us started at least talking about deterring China and the Indo-Pacific.
pete hegseth
Priorities.
The 2017 National Defense Strategy was the first step in reorienting away from simply entanglement in the Middle East, which our generation knows a lot about, and reorienting the behemoth that is the Pentagon toward new priorities, specifically the Indo-Pacific.
So that strategy has started and was barely followed through on under the Biden administration.
So we're going to start by ensuring the institution understands that as far as threats abroad, the CCP...
It's front and center, also obviously defending our homeland as well.
roger wicker
Thank you very much, Senator Reid.
You're recognized.
jack reed
Well, thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Before I begin my questioning, I would like to make three requests.
First, many of my members would like a second round.
That has been the custom.
Senator Hagel was afforded three rounds.
Senator Ash Carter, two rounds.
And that was done by a Republican chairman with the consent and the appropriate guidance of Democrats.
I must say, too, my recollection is I've never denied anyone the opportunity to ask the second round of questions as I chaired.
I will request the second round.
And my time is running.
I think these are...
roger wicker
Oh, yeah, you're using your time.
No, if the timekeeper will pause the...
I must say, I think we're going to have adequate time for questioning.
I know Democrat members have coordinated their questions as much as we have.
We're following the same exact precedent on all things that we did with Secretary Austin.
I respectfully understand what you're saying, but I think we have an agreement.
It's been known for quite some time, and I intend to stick with that agreement which we made last December.
What is your second request?
jack reed
Second, as been publicly reported, you and I have both seen the FBI background investigation that Mr. Hick said, and I want to say for the record, I believe the investigation was insufficient, frankly.
There are still FBI...
Obligations to talk to people.
They have not had access to the forensic audit, which I referenced to, and the person who had access to was quite critical of Mr. Higstad.
I think people on both sides have suggested that they get the report.
I know your colleagues have asked for it.
Senator Thune assured me personally that he thought it was an appropriate idea.
So I would ask, and I would say, too, as a president, one of President Trump's appointees had similar very complicated personal issues.
The report was made available to all the members of the committee.
We would be following precedent, and I ask that that be made possible.
roger wicker
Again, there's been much discussion about this, and what I intend to do is follow The exact precedent that we've had for the last two hearings with regard to Secretaries of Defense.
Not only Secretary Austin, but Secretary Mattis eight years ago.
And that was for the chair and the ranking member to see the report.
And so that is my intention as chair of this committee.
jack reed
Finally, Mr. Chairman, I have several letters that I would include for the record.
One from Count Every Hero, which is an organization of retired four-star generals and former Secretary of Defense that is critical of the proposed purge panels.
One from an organization for domestic violence.
One for a Council on American Relations.
And also, excuse me, and also several letters that raise questions.
I would ask they be submitted for the record.
roger wicker
Without objection, they will be submitted.
And Mr. Reid, your time is now expired.
Just kidding.
You're recognized for seven minutes.
jack reed
Thank you.
You're a very understanding chairman.
I like that.
I like that.
Ms. Hegg said, you've written in its quote, "Oh yeah, and firing any general who isn't carried water for Obama and Biden's extra constitution, an agenda-driven transformation for our military.
Clean house and start over." It's come to my attention that current serving military personnel have received emails threatening them with being fired for supporting the current DOD policies.
One male that was sent to a military officer with the subject line, "Clean House," reminiscent of your specific comment, states, and I quote, "With the incoming administration looking to remove disloyal, corrupt, traitorous, liberal officers such as yourself, we will certainly be putting your name into the list of those personnel to be removed." We know you support the woke DEI policies and will ensure you never again influence anyone in the future.
You and the redacted spouse's name will be lucky if you're able to collect your military requirement." Now, I want to remind everyone that these policies that are being referred to date back decades, so the 1940s and 50s with respect to racial discrimination particularly, And administrations of both parties, including the Trump administration and their first party, caused those policies to be enforced.
Mr. Hegsett, are you aware of these emails being sent to officers?
pete hegseth
Senator, you mentioned the word accountability, which is something we have not had for the last four years.
jack reed
Are you aware of these messages being sent to officers?
pete hegseth
Certainly I'm not aware of that.
It's not one of my efforts, but...
There's been no accountability for the disaster of the withdrawal in Afghanistan.
And that's precisely why we're here today, is that leadership has been unwilling to take accountability.
It's the time to restore that to our most senior ranks.
jack reed
You've written publicly that DI policy is a distraction and have military personnel walking on edge shelves.
Do you believe that emails like that, that are essentially threatening both a serving officer and a spouse and...
Claiming that they'll lose their pension will have a distraction and detract from the lethality.
pete hegseth
Senator, you mentioned the 40s and 50s, and you're precisely right.
The military was a forerunner in courageous racial integration.
In ways no other institutions were willing to do.
I served with men and women of all backgrounds because of the courage of people decades and decades were incredibly important.
However, the DEI policies of today are not the same as what happened back then.
They're dividing troops inside formations, causing commanders to walk on eggshells, not putting meritocracy first.
That's the indictment that's made by those serving right now and why we're having this conversation.
jack reed
All of your public comments don't talk about meritocracy.
They talk about liberal democratic efforts that are destroying the military, that those people are our enemies.
That's not meritocracy.
That's a political view.
And your goal, as I see emerging, is to politicize the military in favor of your particular positions, which you've outlined extensively, which would be the worst blow.
to the professionalism of the United States military and would undercut readiness, undercut retention, because I can see officers receiving these emails beginning to wonder very seriously if they should continue.
Let me change subjects for a moment here.
You've been instrumental in securing pardons for several convicted war criminals.
In at least two of these cases, the military personnel who served in combat with these convicted service members were not supportive of the pardons.
They did their duty as soldiers to report war crimes.
Your definition of lethality seems to embrace those people who do commit war crimes rather than those who stand up and say this is not right.
So what's the response to your service members who I personally witnessed these and courageously reported them to their superiors.
pete hegseth
Senator, as someone who's led men in combat directly and had to make very difficult decisions, I've thought very deeply about the balance between legality and lethality, ensuring that the men and women on the front lines have the opportunity to destroy with and close the enemy and that lawyers aren't the ones getting in the way.
I'm not talking about disavowing the laws of war.
Or the Geneva Conventions or the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Sir, I'm talking about restrictive rules of engagement that these men and women behind me understand they've lived with on the battlefield, which has made it more difficult to defeat our enemies.
In many of the cases you're talking about in particular, sir, there was evidence withheld.
There was prosecutorial misconduct.
And as someone who looks case by case and defaults to the warfighter...
To the men and women with dust on their boots, not the second-guessers in air-conditioned offices in Washington, D.C. I look case by case and was proud to work with President Trump to understand those cases and ensure that our warriors are always looked out for.
jack reed
Those cases were adjudicated by who?
People in Washington or fellow non-commissioned officers who had also served, sacrificed, and believed in the ethic of the military?
Who were the court?
pete hegseth
Senator, in multiple cases, they were actually acquitted, but charges lingered, regardless of where those competing authorities were.
jack reed
Some were, but others were convicted, and you asked for a pardon.
That's the only reason you asked for a pardon, because they were convicted.
But the other factor, too, is you've already disparaged in writing the Geneva Convention, the rules of law, all of these things.
How will you be able to effectively lead a military in which one of the principal elements is discipline, respect for lawful authority?
You have made statements to your platoon after being briefed by a JAG officer.
By the way, would you explain what a JAG-off is?
pete hegseth
I don't think I need to, sir.
jack reed
Why not?
pete hegseth
Because the men and women watching understand.
jack reed
Well, perhaps some of my colleagues don't understand.
pete hegseth
It would be a JAG officer who puts his or her own priorities in front of the warfighters.
Their promotions, their medals, in front of having the backs of those who are making the tough calls on the front lines.
roger wicker
Thank you, Senator Reid.
jack reed
Interesting.
roger wicker
Thank you, Senator Reid.
jack reed
Thank you very much.
roger wicker
Senator Fischer.
unidentified
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and welcome, Mr. Hegseth, to you and to your family.
Thank you for the meeting that we had.
We talked about a number of things.
First and foremost was that nuclear weapons are foundational to our national defense, and having a safe, effective, and credible nuclear deterrent underpins our alliances and, as you know, deters our adversaries.
Nuclear deterrence has been, and you and I, I believe, agreed on this.
It must continue to be unequivocally the highest priority mission of the Department of Defense.
But deterrence only works if our adversaries believe our nuclear forces are effective and credible.
All three legs of our triad are undergoing that generational recapitalization programs, and we cannot afford.
Any more delays in those programs.
Sir, do you believe and agree with President Trump's 2018 nuclear posture review that preventing adversary nuclear attacks is "the highest priority of the United States"?
pete hegseth
Senator, yes, I do.
unidentified
If confirmed, will you commit to supporting all three legs?
Of the nuclear triad and using every tool available to deliver these systems on schedule.
pete hegseth
Senator, yes I do because ultimately our deterrence, our survival is reliant upon the capability, the perception and the reality of the capability of our nuclear triad.
We have to invest in its modernization for the defense of our nation.
unidentified
While former Secretaries of Defense have stated that nuclear deterrence is the highest priority, we haven't really seen that translated into budget requests or using the tools like the Defense Production Act.
You've spoken about increasing lethality.
You've spoken about getting programs done faster.
How would you actually implement?
A culture change so that we can see these delivery schedules move forward, be rewarded.
I can tell you in most every briefing we have, the schedules we're on are too late.
So what would you do?
pete hegseth
Well, ultimately focused first on the things that are most important, as we have discussed, Senator, the nuclear triad, understanding whether it's the B-21 or the Minuteman to the Sentinel, all aspects of the Columbia class, submarines, ballistic missiles.
What are the priorities that need to be focused on and ensure that in those particular cases, you mentioned it, Senator, the Defense Production Act, emergency powers.
If we're at a place where our nuclear capabilities are perceived to not be what they are, that is an emergency.
And we have an ally in our incoming commander-in-chief, in President Donald Trump, who has spoken about these things, understands the power and strength of nuclear deterrence, will not allow them to be deprioritized.
unidentified
It's the existential threat.
It's the existential threat to this nation.
How do you change the culture?
It's not just the Production Act that's going to be able to do it.
How are you going to move forward faster?
pete hegseth
Competition.
Senator is important, critically important.
The Death Valley that was talked about leveraging the innovation of Silicon Valley, which for the first time in generations has shown a willingness, desire, and capability to bring its best technologies to bear at the Pentagon, a Pentagon that has become too insular.
Tries to block new technologies from coming in.
So we have to embrace that.
There's some great Office of Strategic Capital, DIU initiatives that provide loans to companies to participate.
Because you have to invest in the defense industrial base for the longer-term projects.
We have the capability, the missiles and the munitions.
But also to rapidly field emerging technologies that we need on the battlefield right now.
So as we learn things, say, in the war in Ukraine, those technologies, as we look at threats we're going to face, find ways to rapidly field those using off-the-shelf technologies or standard designs, modular designs.
Another easy one, Senator, that became evident in the process is digital designs.
The Pentagon often builds entire systems without first using a digital design.
unidentified
Okay.
pete hegseth
Which means you build prototypes and then scrap them and start over again.
No private sector business could survive doing business that way.
So there's a lot of innovation and I'm going to hire a lot of smart people already have to help with that.
unidentified
In the 2025 NDAA...
It was established to a new position, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Deterrence, Chemical and Biological Defense Policy and Programs.
And that was established so we could cut through a lot of the bureaucratic stovepipes that we see in the office of the Secretary of Defense.
If confirmed, will you direct the Department of Defense components to expeditiously implement this reform?
pete hegseth
It sounds great.
I would want to look directly at exactly what that reform is.
I take your word that it's great, Senator.
I will review it robustly and I look forward to implementing it.
unidentified
Okay.
Thank you.
During the first Trump administration, the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review concluded that the U.S. needed to once again...
Develop and deploy a nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile known as SLICM to offset significant Russian and Chinese advantages in theater-range nuclear capabilities.
Since then, Congress, on a strong bipartisan basis, has directed the Navy and the National Nuclear Security Administration to continue this effort.
Do you support the SLICM program?
pete hegseth
As of right now, Senator, based on what I know, I do, but one of my answers I'll have repeatedly throughout this morning is getting an opportunity to look under the hood, classified material, get an understanding of true capabilities vis-a-vis enemy capabilities.
Because what we know right now on the nuclear side is that Russia and China are rushing to modernize and build arsenals larger than ours.
Match threats to capabilities and the systems we elevate will be tied to whether those capabilities are needed based on the adversaries we face.
unidentified
Would you ensure that this program is executed according to law?
pete hegseth
Absolutely.
Absolutely, Senator.
unidentified
Short here.
What is your plan to revitalize the industrial base in this country?
roger wicker
Needs to be real short.
pete hegseth
Serious investment targeted at systems that we truly need by also incentivizing competition and laser focus from the OSD, from the Office of Secretary of Defense to all the particular strategic initiatives to revive them so it's not just one system, it's multiple systems.
roger wicker
You may want to expand on that on the record.
At this point, my colleagues, I would ask unanimous...
Consent to enter into the record a letter organized by a group called Flag Officers for America, which has 120 retired generals and admirals offering their support for Mr. Hexeth's nomination.
I ask unanimous consent.
Without objection, it is entered into the record.
Senator Shaheen.
unidentified
Good morning, Mr. Hexeth.
pete hegseth
Good morning, Senator.
unidentified
I was pleased when I was contacted on your behalf about meeting before this hearing.
I've been on this committee since 2011, and during that time, I voted to confirm six nominees to be Secretary of Defense from three administrations, two Democratic and one Republican, the first Trump administration.
Every one of those nominees met with me and my Democratic colleagues on this committee before the hearing.
So, as you can imagine, I was disappointed when no one ever followed up.
When we followed up with your office, you were not able to meet.
Do you understand that if you're confirmed to be Secretary of Defense, that you will have a responsibility to meet with all members of this committee, not just Republicans?
pete hegseth
Senator, I very much appreciate and understand the traditionally bipartisan nature of this committee.
Their national defense is not...
Partisan.
It should not be about Republicans or Democrats.
And so I look forward to working together with you and your colleagues on priorities facing this nation.
unidentified
Yes.
I think we would expect that.
And one reason that I wanted to meet with you was because I thought it would be really helpful to better understand your views on women in the military.
Because you've made a number of surprising statements about women serving in the military.
As recently as November the 7th of 2024 on the Sean Ryan Show, you said, and I quote, I'm straight up saying that we should not have women in combat roles.
It hasn't made us more effective.
The quote went on a little longer, but that was the gist of it.
That was before you were nominated to be Secretary of Defense.
Mr. Hegseth, do you know what percentage of our military is comprised of women?
pete hegseth
I believe it's 18 to 20 percent, Senator.
unidentified
It's almost 18 percent.
And in fact, DOD's 2023 demographic report indicated that there are more women serving now and there are fewer separations.
So they make up a critical part of our military.
Wouldn't you agree?
pete hegseth
Yes, ma 'am.
Women in our military, as I have said publicly, have and continue to make amazing contributions across all aspects of our battlefield.
unidentified
Well, you also write in your book, The War on Warriors, with the chapter, The Deadly Obsession with Women Warriors, that, quote, not only are women comparatively less effective than men in combat roles, but they are more likely to be objectified by the enemy and their own nation in the moral realms of war.
Mr. Hegstaff?
Should we take it to believe that you believe that the two women on this committee who have served honorably and with distinction made our military less effective and less capable?
pete hegseth
I'm incredibly grateful for the two women who've served our military in uniform and including in the Central Intelligence Agency contributions on the battlefield.
Indispensable contributions.
Senator, I would like to clarify when I'm talking about that issue.
It's not about the capabilities of men and women.
It's about standards.
And this committee has talked a lot about standards.
Standards that we, unfortunately, over time, have seen eroded in certain duty positions, certain schools, certain places, which affects readiness, which is what I care about the most, readiness on the battlefield.
unidentified
I appreciate that.
pete hegseth
And so my comments, time and time again, to standards.
unidentified
Statements publicly have not been to that effect.
After your nomination, you did state to a group of reporters that you, quote, support all women serving in our military today who do a fantastic job across the globe, including combat.
So what I'm confused about, Mr. Hegseth, is which is it?
Why should women in our military, if you were the Secretary of Defense, Believe that they would have a fair shot and an equal opportunity to rise through the ranks.
If on the one hand, you say that women are not competent, they make our military less effective.
And on the other hand, you say, oh no, now that I've been nominated to be the Secretary of Defense, I've changed my view on women in the military.
What do you have to say to the...
Almost 400,000 women who are serving today about your position on whether they should be capable to rise through the highest ranks of our military.
pete hegseth
Senator, I would say I would be honored to have the opportunity to serve alongside you, shoulder to shoulder, men and women, black, white, all backgrounds, with a shared purpose.
Our differences are not what define us.
Our unity and our shared purpose is what define us.
And you will be treated fairly and with dignity, honor, and respect, just like every man and woman in uniform, just like the men and women that I've worked with in my veterans organizations, to include when I was a headquarters and headquarters company commander in the Minnesota National Guard.
unidentified
Well, I appreciate your 11th hour conversion.
But, Mr. Chairman, for the record, I would like to submit Chapter 5, The Deadly Obsession with Women Warriors, for the record.
Mr. Hegseth...
roger wicker
Without objection, it will be submitted.
unidentified
Are you familiar with the Women, Peace and Security agenda at the Department of Defense?
pete hegseth
Yes, ma 'am, I am.
unidentified
This is a law that was signed during President-elect Trump's first term.
It was legislation that I sponsored with Republican Senator Capito of West Virginia.
It was co-sponsored by Marco Rubio, the nominee to be the President-elect's Secretary of State.
It was led in the House of Representatives by Kristi Noem, the President-elect's nominee to be the Secretary of Homeland Security.
It mandates that women be included in all aspects of our national security, including conflict resolution and peace negotiations.
And at the Department of Defense, it has been the law for eight years under both the Trump and Biden administrations.
The DOD has incorporated women throughout its decision-making as a result.
Every single combatant commander across two administrations has told this committee that this law and its implementation at the Department of Defense provides them a strategic advantage operationally.
Based on your comments, it appears that The example that you would like to set, not only for women in this country, but for women across the globe, 50% of the world's population, as the prospective nominee to lead the most combat-credible military in the entire world, is that women should not have an equal opportunity in our military.
So will you commit to preserving the women, peace, and security law at DOD, and including in your budget...
The requisite funding to continue to restore and resource these programs throughout the DOD.
pete hegseth
Senator, I will commit to reviewing that program and ensuring it aligns with America First national security priorities, meritocracy, lethality, and readiness.
And if it advances American interests, it's something we would advance.
If it doesn't, it's something we would look at.
unidentified
Well, since former President Trump signed the law, I hope that he agrees with you.
roger wicker
Thank you, Senator Shaheen.
At this point, I would ask unanimous consent to enter into the record five letters of support from female service members and combat veterans who support Mr. Hegseth's nomination.
These women represent diverse viewpoints from a retired colonel with over 25 years of service to an active duty Navy surface warfare commander to a senior airman.
They support Mr. Hegseth.
And comment on his focus on merit, warfighting readiness, military training status, and the warrior ethos.
So, without objection, it will be entered into the record.
And now, I'm honored to recognize Senator Cotton for seven minutes.
tom cotton
Mr. Hegseth, let's continue on this line of questioning about what's sometimes referred to as women in combat.
I think that phrase is something of a misnomer.
Many members of this committee have served in combat in the last 25 years, to include women and men.
I'm sure all those men served with women, whether they were military police officers or they were pilots or whether they were intelligence analysts or medics or what have you.
You served.
I assume you served with women.
Who were on the front lines as well, is that correct?
pete hegseth
Yes, sir.
tom cotton
And were those women anything other than skilled, brave, and honorable in their service?
pete hegseth
They were some of the best soldiers I worked with.
tom cotton
So women have been serving in combat for a long time.
Women have even been serving in combat units like infantry battalions for a long time in roles like medics or mechanics or what have you.
So what we're talking about here specifically is women in ground combat roles.
In jobs like infantrymen or artillerymen or special forces.
Until about 10 years ago, that wasn't the case.
Under Secretary Panetta, those roles were opened up to women to serve in.
Has President Trump indicated at all that he plans to rescind or alter that guidance?
pete hegseth
You're correct to point out, Senator, that these are the decisions that the commander-in-chief will have the prerogative to make.
He has not indicated me To me that he has plans to change whether or not women would have access to these roles.
However, I would point out ensuring that standards are equal and high is of importance to him and great importance to me.
Because in those ground combat roles, what is true is that the weight of the ruck on your back doesn't change.
The weight of the 155 round that you have to carry doesn't change.
The weight of the 240 Bravo machine gun you might have to carry doesn't change.
And so whether it's a man or a woman, they have to meet the same high standards.
And Senator, in any place where those things have been eroded or in courses, criteria have been changed in order to meet quotas, racial quotas or gender quotas, that is putting a focus on something other than readiness.
Okay, so thank you.
tom cotton
So you expect no change to that guidance, but as you point out, in these specific jobs, there are irreducible physical demands.
We expect our intelligence analysts and our mechanics to be physically fit in the military, but it's different when you're in the infantry or the artillery.
You just mentioned a few things.
Let me point it out.
An artillery shell weighs almost 100 pounds.
An Abrams tank round weighs around 50 pounds.
The M240 Bravo machine gun with its tripod weighs almost 50 pounds.
The average weight of a full kit, ammo, water, commo, body armor for a soldier is over 100 pounds.
Nothing you can do can change any of those things, right?
That is physical reality.
pete hegseth
Go ahead.
Yes, Senator.
And I would say...
The requirements to handle those things in a ground combat unit, as far as standards, can look different than those of a medic or a drone pilot.
And so it's not that it has to be the same standard throughout.
It's standards to maximize efficacy of that particular position.
tom cotton
Let me read a quote here from one Army officer.
While it may be difficult for a 120-pound woman to lift or drag 250 pounds, the Army cannot artificially I assume,
based on your testimony, you agree with that Army officer?
pete hegseth
Absolutely.
The standards need to be the same, and they need to be high.
And they need to be set by the people closest to the problem set, closest to the understanding of what is required by that job.
Commanders, commanding officers, and co-coms and elsewhere who understand the reality of what they face, that's the feedback we should get.
That's what should be enshrined and enforced.
And no other set of political prerogatives, when I talk about removing politics, ideological or political prerogatives should contribute to those determinations.
Nothing other than...
The execution of the mission.
tom cotton
Thank you.
For the record, that Army officer was Captain Kristen Greist, the Army's first female infantry officer and one of its first female ranger school graduates.
One final point.
You said they need to be objective, gender neutral, and high.
That's because the demands are, in fact, very high.
The current physical fitness test for the Army has a minimum two-mile run of 22 miles.
Run.
And I want the reporter to note that I'm putting run in air quotes because 22 miles at two miles is not running.
It may be jogging.
It's probably walking fast.
Let's move on.
We've got a big...
22 minutes.
We've got a big audience here.
Many of them seem to be patriotic supporters of you, Mr. Hexeth.
Some of them seem to be liberal critics of you.
I would note that it's only...
The liberal critics that have disrupted this hearing, as was my custom during the Biden administration, I want to give you a chance to respond to what they said about you.
I think the first one accused you of being a Christian Zionist.
I'm not really sure why that is a bad thing.
I'm a Christian.
I'm a Zionist.
Zionism is that the Jewish people deserve a homeland in the ancient Holy Land where they've lived since the dawn of history.
Do you consider yourself a Christian Zionist?
pete hegseth
Senator, I support...
I am a Christian, and I robustly support the state of Israel and its existential defense and the way America comes alongside them as their great ally.
tom cotton
Thank you.
Because another protester, and I think this one was a member of Code Pink, which, by the way, is a Chinese communist front group these days, said that you support Israel's war in Gaza.
I support Israel's existential war in Gaza.
I assume...
Like me and President Trump, you support that war as well, don't you?
pete hegseth
Senator, I do.
I support Israel destroying and killing every last member of Hamas.
tom cotton
And the third protester said something about 20 years of genocide.
I assume that's our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Do you think our troops are committing genocide in Iraq and Afghanistan?
pete hegseth
Senator, I do not.
I think our troops, as you know, as so many in this committee know, did the best they could with what they had.
We're not the outcomes.
And tragically, the outcome we saw in Afghanistan under the Biden administration put a stain on that, but it doesn't put a stain on what those men and women did in uniform, as you know full well, Senator.
tom cotton
Thank you, Mr. Exeter.
roger wicker
Thank you, Senator Cotton.
At this point, I ask unanimous consent to offer to the record a letter submitted by Omar Abbasi, son of former city council president of Samara, Iraq.
Who worked with Mr. Hegseth in Iraq?
Without objection, that will be entered.
Senator Gillibrand.
unidentified
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Mr. Hegseth.
I do want to thank you for your service, and I want to thank you for your willingness to serve in this capacity.
pete hegseth
Thank you, Senator.
unidentified
I have many concerns about your record, and particularly your public statements, because...
They are so hurtful to the men and women who are currently serving in the U.S. military.
Harmful to morale.
Harmful to good order and discipline.
If you are saying that women shouldn't be serving in the military, and I'm going to read you your quotes, because the quotes themselves are terrible.
You will have to change how you see women.
To do this job well, and I don't know if you are capable of that.
So I want to press on these issues that my colleague Jean Shaheen brought up because she said it so well.
So first of all, you answered your questionnaire.
Do you believe that any American who wants to serve their country in the military and can meet objective standards set by the military should be allowed to serve without limitation?
You've said yes to that question.
But then in all of these other circumstances, you've denigrated active duty service members.
We have hundreds, hundreds of women who are currently in the infantry.
Lethal members of our military serving in the infantry.
But you degrade them.
You say, we need moms.
But not in the military, especially in combat units.
So specific to Senator Cotton's question, because Senator Cotton was giving you layups to differentiate between different types of combat.
And specifically, as secretary, would you take any action to reinstitute the combat arms exclusion for female service members, knowing full well you have hundreds of women doing that job right now?
And the standards, you're two-mile run, Tom.
Is about the army combat fitness test.
It is not the requirements to have an MOS 11 Bravo, which is the infantry.
These are the requirements today for people serving in the industry, men and women.
They are gender neutral and they are very difficult to meet.
They have not been reduced in any way and our combat units, our infantry is lethal.
So please explain specifically because You will be in charge of 3 million personnel.
It is a big job.
And when you make these public statements, and I get you were not Secretary of Defense then.
I get you were on TV.
I get you were helping veterans.
I get it was a different job.
But most recently, you said this in November of 2024, knowing full well you might have been named as Secretary of Defense.
So please explain these types of statements because they're brutal and they're mean.
And they disrespect men and women who are willing to die for this country.
pete hegseth
Well, Senator, I appreciate your comments.
And I would point out I've never disparaged women serving in the military.
I respect every single female service member that has put on the uniform past and present.
My critiques, Senator, recently and in the past, and from personal experience, have been instances...
Where I've seen standards lowered, and you mentioned 11 Alpha, 11 Bravo, MOS, places in units, and the book that has been referenced multiple times here, The War on Warriors, I spent months talking to active duty service members,
men and women, low ranks, high ranks, combat arms and not combat arms, and what each and every one of them told me, and which personal instances have shown me, is that in ways direct, indirect, Overt and subtle.
Standards have been changed inside infantry training units, ranger school, infantry battalions.
unidentified
Give me one example.
Please give me an example.
pete hegseth
Commanders meet quotas to have a certain number of female infantry officers or infantry enlisted, and that disparages those women who are incredibly capable of meeting that standard.
unidentified
Commanders do not have to have a quota for women in the infantry.
That does not exist.
It does not exist.
And your statements are creating the impression that these exist, because they do not.
There are not quotas.
We want the most lethal force.
But I'm telling you, having been here for 15 years listening to testimony about men and women in combat and the type of operations that were successful in Afghanistan and in Iraq, women were essential for many of those units.
When Ranger units went in to find where the terrorists hiding in Afghanistan or in Iraq, if they had a woman in the unit, What a terrible statement.
So please.
Do not deny that you've made those statements you have.
We take the responsibility of standards very seriously, and we will work with you.
I'm equally distressed you would not meet with me before this hearing.
We could have covered all of this.
Before you came here.
So I could get to the 15 other questions that I want to get to.
So women, you have denigrated.
You have also denigrated members of the LGBTQ community.
Did you know that when Don't Ask, Don't Tell was in place, we lost so many crucial personnel, over 1,000 in mission-critical areas.
We lost 10% of all our foreign language speakers because of a political policy.
You said in your statement, you don't want politics in the DOD.
everything you've said in these public statements is politics.
I don't want women.
I don't want moms.
What's wrong with a mom, by the way?
Once you have babies, you therefore are no longer able to be lethal.
I mean, you're basically saying women after they have children can't ever serve in the military in a combat It's a silly thing to say.
It's a silly thing to say.
Beneath the position that you are aspiring to.
To denigrate LGBTQ service members is a mistake.
If you are a sharpshooter, you're as lethal, regardless of what your gender identity is, regardless of who you love.
So please know this to be a true statement.
So you say it was a political thing.
You say it undermined us.
Social engineering.
I don't know why someone having to publicly say or not publicly say who they love is social engineering.
Having that policy in the first place was highly problematic.
And as you said in your statement, do you agree anybody should be able to serve in the military if they meet the standards?
pete hegseth
Senator, as the president has stated, I don't disagree with the overturn of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
unidentified
Great, because I don't want you thinking...
Can't serve if you're a mom.
Can't serve if you're LGBTQ.
And then last, can't serve if you're a leftist.
The statements you said about people who have views differently than you, that we're the enemy.
Are you saying that 50% of the DOD, if they hold liberal views or leftist views or our Democrats are not welcome in the military?
Are you saying that?
pete hegseth
Senator, I volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan under Democrat President Barack Obama.
I also volunteered to guard the inauguration of Joe Biden but was denied the opportunity to serve because I was identified as an extremist by my own unit for a Christian tattoo.
roger wicker
Thank you very much.
Senator Gillibrand, you held up a document and referred to it during your questioning.
Would you like that entered into the record?
unidentified
Okay, we'll delete.
roger wicker
Without objection, that will be admitted at the point of your question, and I would like to enter into the record at this point a letter of support from retired Air Force Colonel Melissa Cunningham.
Colonel Cunningham supports Mr. Hexeth and mentions his warrior ethos, combat effectiveness, and maintaining military training standards.
So without objection, both of those will be admitted and I now recognize them to rounds.
unidentified
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
First of all, good morning.
I'd like to thank you for your service to our nation in uniform and also your work on behalf of your fellow veterans and for your willingness to enter into this maelstrom of public service.
I think the presence of so many veterans who have showed up to support you speaks volumes.
I also want to recognize your family's service and sacrifice.
You know as well as anyone that it's not just the man that enters the arena, but it's the entire family who also works their way through this process as well.
I appreciated our meeting with you and with your wife, Jennifer, this last month.
I thought that we had an excellent conversation, and I appreciate your statement and your answers to the advanced policy questions.
Especially your desire to bring a renewed focus on warfighting and lethality back to the Pentagon.
I also respect and I appreciate my friend and colleague, Senator Gillibrand, and some of her questions.
And I know that she had a number of them in there.
You had an opportunity to respond very briefly.
Were there any other responses that you would like to make or clarifications that you would like to make before I move on to my questions?
pete hegseth
Senator, thank you very much for the opportunity to meet and for the question.
I would also acknowledge you were mentioning female engagement teams, which have shown a great deal of success on the battlefield.
It would be universally acknowledged as such.
I've been in Iraqi homes where the language and gender barrier was real, and the ability to have someone there to help in that process would be a massive accelerant in mission success.
I recognize that reality.
I also recognize that female engagement teams assigned to a SEAL team or a Green Beret team meet different standards also, which is okay because of the duty positions involved in that job.
As far as politics, Senator, it has been the joy of my life to lead men and women in military outfits.
When you're in combat or in training, there's a lot of conversations that happen.
And you start to realize that a lot of people you're serving with share your political ideals or they don't.
You find out there's Republicans, there's Democrats, there's Libertarians, there's Independents, there's Vegetarians.
Everything in between.
None of that matters.
It never mattered in how I led men and women, how I interacted with them, what missions we undertook.
Politics has nothing to do with the battlefield.
Which is why President Trump has asked me to say, let's make sure all of that...
This is about warfighting capability, setting standards high, and making sure we give our boys, our men and women, everything they need to be successful on the battlefield.
So politics can play no part in that, and I look forward to infusing that, as we always have inside our units.
unidentified
I appreciate you making that very clear, and one of the areas that we want to do our best is to provide for the equipment and the technical capabilities so that No young man or woman enters into a battle as a fair fight, and that they always have the advantage.
Those are the types of questions that I'd like to get into right now, and I want to start by talking about something that sometimes gets a little bit into the weeds, but I think it's critical.
Mr. Hexeth, from what I've heard from 24 senior DOD officials in hearings over the last two years, including the Secretary of Defense, Every service chief and eight combatant commanders is that sharing the portion of the spectrum,
and this is in the weeds I know, but I'm going to ask it to get it on the record, the 3.1 to 3.5 gigahertz band would have extremely serious consequences and very costly consequences on our warfighting capabilities.
In fact, the Department of the Navy alone has estimated that relocating their systems to a different part of the spectrum band Would cost them $250 billion.
That's just for the destroyers that defend our coasts with the radars that they have in them.
If confirmed, what will you do to make sure that the Department of Defense can maintain its access and the use and to be able to maneuver within the electromagnetic spectrum at home and abroad?
And would you be willing to literally go to the mat with the interagency to protect warfighter requirements?
For the use of the spectrum.
pete hegseth
Well, Senator, thank you for the question.
And my job, in part, will be to go to the mat when necessary for things I believe are an absolute requirement for the Department of Defense and the men and women in uniform.
There's no doubt about that.
In this particular case, as far as spectrum, I look forward, as I've said before, getting a full class, because this issue has come up a number of times in meetings.
It's critically important with how our warfighters communicate.
Across all services.
So I'm going to get a classified briefing immediately about how it would impact the spectrum if it were to allow other companies to be auctioned off.
unidentified
Trust assured, China would love to have our ability to use that part of the spectrum restrict.
They would love that.
pete hegseth
Absolutely right.
And so I will go in with eyes only toward ensuring we have the capabilities we need and there's no disruption when I take that brief.
unidentified
Thank you.
In your advanced policy questions, you recognize a cooperative approach by China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea to undermine U.S. influence around the world.
As you point out, aggression by any one actor would be an opportunity for others to engage the U.S. on multiple fronts along the continuum of the conflict.
As we discussed in my office, neither of us wants to send our troops into a fair fight.
They have every advantage that the United States can give them, and that requires resources and reforms.
Given the growing potential of a multi-theater conflict involving near-peer adversaries, what steps would you take to prepare the Department of Defense to simultaneously execute and sustain operations across multiple regions while maintaining readiness and deterrence globally?
And I just have to make note, and I want to make it clear.
We have language in this year's fiscal year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act calling for a review of the department's operational plans.
And I just want to make sure that you're aware of that and that we will have, if we have a fight with one, the chances are very good that we're going to have two battles or two different battlegrounds at the same time.
pete hegseth
Senator, which is why I believe our country's incredibly fortunate to have a new commander-in-chief in Donald Trump, who through...
The strategic approach he has taken with allies and against foes has prevented wars and is determined to do the same.
That's our chief job, is deter and prevent wars.
My job, should I be confirmed at the Secretary of Defense, is to ensure we have the right prioritization of assets and strategy, and then the tools in the toolbox necessary, the pointiest possible spear for President Trump.
To wield, if necessary, as the last resort.
So President Trump at the helm, I think, will go a long way in making sure our enemies know there's a new sheriff in town.
unidentified
Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
roger wicker
And thank you very much, Senator Blumenthal.
richard blumenthal
Thanks, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you for having this hearing.
Thank you for being here, Mr. Hexeth.
And I want to join in expressing appreciation and respect for your...
Service to our country and thanks to all the veterans who are here today and thank you for your service as the ranking member of the Veterans Affairs Committee.
I hope we can focus on doing better for our veterans and doing better in management of the Department of Defense.
There's always room for improvement.
I think what we need in that position is not just better but the best in financial Management, because those decisions are life and death decisions affecting the 3.4 million Americans who serve our national security and our national defense and put their lives on the line.
I want to talk about financial mismanagement at the two organizations that you headed, which are the only test of your financial management that we have before this committee, the Veterans for You took over the Veterans for Freedom in 2007.
In 2008, you raised $8.7 million, but spent more than $9 million, creating a deficit.
By January 2009, you told donors that the organization had less than $1,000 in the bank and debts of $434 million.
By 2010, revenue at the Veterans for Freedom had dropped to about $265,000.
In the next year, it had dropped further to $22,000.
You don't dispute these numbers, do you?
pete hegseth
Senator, I'm extremely proud of the work me and my fellow vets did at Vets for Freedom.
A bunch of young vets, With no political experience, a small group, working hard every single day.
We raised donor funds.
And we have letters submitted for the record from almost everyone that worked with me every single day, including our chief operating officer, who will attest that every dollar we raised was used intentionally toward...
The execution of our mission, which is supporting the warfighters, exactly why we're here today, the warfighters in the Iraq surge.
There was a campaign in 2008, Senator.
It was Barack Obama versus John McCain.
richard blumenthal
If I can just ask you another question.
pete hegseth
We believe John McCain would be the right person to win.
And so we spent more.
richard blumenthal
The tax returns from that organization.
pete hegseth
I'm glad they're in for the record.
richard blumenthal
Which I am going to ask to be entered into the record, Mr. Chairman.
roger wicker
Without objection.
richard blumenthal
These tax returns are yours.
They have your signature.
And I'm going to ask that members of the committee review them because they're the only documents.
I've asked for others.
I've asked for the FBI report that would presumably document, it should have documented, this kind of financial mismanagement.
and these are the 990s from that organization.
By the year of 2011, donors had become so dissatisfied with that mismanagement, they in effect ousted you, they merged that organization with military families united, and thereafter you joined a second organization.
In between, Senator, I went to Harvard University for two years and Afghanistan.
I want to ask you questions about Concerned Veterans for America again.
Another set of tax returns, the 990s from that organization.
I ask they be made part of the record, Mr. Chairman.
roger wicker
Without objection, both of those returns are now part of the record.
richard blumenthal
2011 to 2016.
At the end of 2013, shortfall of $130,000.
At the end of 2014, shortfall of $428,000.
You had a surplus the following year, but then another deficit.
Of $437,000.
By the time you left, that organization had deep debts, including credit card transaction debts of about $75,000.
That isn't the kind of fiscal management we want at the Department of Defense.
We can't tolerate it at the Department of Defense.
That's an organization with a budget of $850...
Billion dollars.
Not 10 or 15 million, which was the case at those two organizations.
And it has command responsibility for 3.4 million Americans.
The highest number that you managed in those two organizations was maybe 50 people.
Let me ask you, how many men and women now serve in the United States Army?
What is then strength?
pete hegseth
Senator, I would like an opportunity to respond to the imputing of my leadership of a veterans organization.
Concerned Veterans for America, you're on the VA committee, sir, and I appreciate your service there.
The VA Accountability Act and the Mission Act were all brainchilds of Concerned Veterans for America.
We used our donor money very intentionally and focused to create policy that bettered the lives of veterans.
richard blumenthal
Mr. Hexeth, I'm asking you...
Very simple question.
How many men and women currently serve in the United States Army?
pete hegseth
Senator, the United States Army, 450,000 on active duty, sir.
richard blumenthal
And how many in the Navy?
pete hegseth
In the Navy, it's 425, sir.
richard blumenthal
Well, it's 337 this year.
How many in the Marine Corps?
pete hegseth
175,000, sir.
richard blumenthal
172,300.
Those numbers dwarf.
Any experience you had by many multiples, I don't believe that you can tell this committee or the people of America that you are qualified to lead them.
I would support you as the spokesperson for the Pentagon.
I don't dispute your communication skills, but I believe that we are entitled.
To the facts here, I've asked for more documents.
I assume you'd be willing to submit to an expanded FBI background check that interviews your colleagues, accountants, ex-wives, former spouses, sexual assault survivors and others, and enable them to come forward.
pete hegseth
Senator, I'm not in charge of FBI background checks.
richard blumenthal
But you would submit to it and support it.
pete hegseth
I'm not in charge of FBI background checks.
roger wicker
Thank you, Senator Blumenthal.
I, at this point, want to submit a letter from Captain Wade Zirkle, the founder of Vets for Freedom, and the person who hired Pete Hexeth to run the organization.
Although the 2008 financial crisis dried up fundraising for nonprofits, Captain Zirkle says, and I quote, Pete responded to this crisis with decisive action.
By reducing staff and renegotiating all debts with creditors until they were fairly resolved.
An impressive feat and a testament to Pete's character.
Pete departed VFF in 2010 to take on a new role with Concerned Veterans for America.
Pete departed on good terms.
Without objection, that will be added to the record.
Senator Ernst, you're recognized for seven minutes.
joni ernst
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
And I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record a letter submitted by Mr. Mark Lucas, who is a fellow Iowan and Iowa Army National Guard member.
Mr. Lucas and I served together in the Iowa Army National Guard.
He succeeded Pete Hegseth as Executive Director of Concerned Veterans for America.
And in his letter, Mr. Lucas says that Mr. Hegseth, quote, laid a strong foundation that postured CVA for long-term success, end quote.
And that Mr. Hegseth, quote, continued to be an invaluable asset to both me as a leader and the organization, end quote.
So I would ask for unanimous consent to enter this Washington Times article and the letter from Mr. Mark Lucas into the record.
roger wicker
Without objection.
joni ernst
Okay, thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good morning, Mr. Hegseth, and thank you very much.
I appreciate your service to our nation.
It's something that I know you are very proud of, and it is something that we have in common and that we share.
You and I have had many productive conversations.
And just for our audience, we have had very frank.
Is that correct, Mr. Hegseth?
pete hegseth
Senator, that is a correct characterization.
joni ernst
You know that I don't keep anything hidden.
Pull no punches.
My colleagues know that as well.
So I do appreciate you sitting down and allowing me the opportunity to question you thoroughly on those issues that are of great importance to me.
Just to recap those issues, three that are very important.
One is the DOD and making sure that we have a clean audit.
The second is women in combat, and we'll talk a little bit more about that in a moment.
And the third was maintaining high standards and making sure that we are combating sexual assault in the military.
Okay, so Mr. Hegseth, I'm going to address the issue because this will tie into some of the financial concerns that have been raised here as well.
And it's why, you know, I'm trusting my fellow Iowan, asked for unanimous consent of this letter to go into the record.
But like me, a lot of Iowans are really, really...
Concerned and upset about the wasteful Washington spending and, of course, in our Pentagon.
It's an issue that I have been combating for years.
So there's significant room for greater efficiency and cost-cutting within the department.
And the DOD is the only federal agency that has never passed an audit.
As the Senate Doge Caucus Chair and Founder, that's unacceptable to me.
And it should be unacceptable to you as well.
So I appreciate that you mentioned that in your opening statement.
What are those steps that you will take to ensuring the Pentagon has a clean audit by the year 2028?
pete hegseth
Senator, I appreciate your work on this topic, which you've been involved in for a long time.
You mentioned Concerned Veterans for America.
I just want to clarify, we have very generous donors who set a very clear budget that we stuck to every single year.
So the latitude there was restricted and we worked very hard and diligently inside it.
You've also been a leader on the Pentagon audit for a very long time.
I think when we met, Senator, I said 2014 was the first year.
We discovered a 2013 op-ed I wrote about the need for a Pentagon audit because an audit is an issue of national security and, frankly, respect to American taxpayers who give $850 billion over to the Defense Department and expect that we know where that money goes.
And if that money is going somewhere that doesn't add to tooth...
And instead goes to fat or tail, we need to know that.
Or if it's wasted, we need to know that.
So I think previous Secretaries of Defense, with all due respect, haven't necessarily emphasized the strategic prerogative of an audit.
And myself, my deputy, SecDef, and others already know that a Pentagon audit will be the comptroller, others central to ensuring.
We find those dollars that can be used elsewhere legally under the law inside the Pentagon.
So you have my word it will be a priority.
joni ernst
Okay, thank you.
Okay, moving on to women in combat.
And I had the privilege of serving in uniform for over 23 years between our Army Reserves and our Iowa Army National Guard.
Did serve in Kuwait and missions in Iraq.
And so it is incredibly important that I stress, and I hope that if confirmed, you continue to stress that every man and woman has opportunity to serve their country in uniform and do so at any level as long as they are meeting the standards that are set forward.
And we talked about that in my office.
I do believe in high standards.
Now, I was denied the opportunity.
To serve in any combat role, because I have a lot of gray hair.
And the policy has changed since then, okay?
So I've been around for quite a while.
But for the young women that are out there now and can meet those standards, and again, I'll emphasize, they should be very, very high standards.
They must physically be able to achieve those standards so that they can complete their mission.
But I want to know, again, let's make it very clear for everyone here today.
Senator, first of all, thank you for your service, as we discussed extensively as well.
It's my privilege.
pete hegseth
And my answer is yes, exactly the way that you caveated it.
Yes, women will have access to ground combat roles, combat roles, given the standards remain high, and we'll have a review to ensure the standards have not been eroded in any one of these cases.
That'll be part of one of the first things we do at the Pentagon, is reviewing that in a gender-neutral way, the standards, ensuring readiness and meritocracy is front and center.
But absolutely, it would be the privilege of a lifetime, if confirmed.
To be the Secretary of Defense for all men and women in uniform who fight so heroic.
They have so many other options.
They decided to put their right hand up for our country.
And it would be an honor to have a chance to lead them.
joni ernst
Thank you.
And just very briefly, we only have less than a minute left, but we have also discussed this in my office.
A priority of mine has been combating sexual assault in the military and making sure that all of our service members are treated with dignity and respect.
This has been so important.
Senator Gillibrand and I have worked on this, and we were able to get changes made to the Uniform Code of Military Justice to make sure that we have improvements on how we address the tragic and life-altering issues of rape, sexual assault.
It will demand time and attention from the Pentagon.
Under your watch if you are confirmed.
So as Secretary of Defense, will you appoint a senior-level official dedicated to sexual assault prevention and response?
pete hegseth
Senator, as we have discussed, yes, I will.
joni ernst
Okay, and my time is expired.
Thank you for your answers.
roger wicker
Senator Hirono.
unidentified
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Hegsack, welcome.
pete hegseth
Thank you.
unidentified
I am focused on your fitness to serve, including your character and temperament and your overall qualifications to do the job.
And I do appreciate the comments of Ranking Member Reed with his concerns regarding your nomination because I share those concerns.
As part of my responsibility as a member of this committee to ensure the fitness of all nominees to come before any of the committees on which I sit, I ask the following two initial questions.
First, since you became a legal adult, have you ever made unwanted requests for sexual favors or committed any verbal or physical harassment or assault of a sexual nature?
pete hegseth
No, Senator.
unidentified
Have you ever faced discipline or entered into a settlement relating to this kind of conduct?
pete hegseth
Senator, I was falsely accused in October of 2017.
It was fully investigated and I was completely cleared.
unidentified
I don't think completely cleared is accurate, but the fact is that your own lawyer...
Sad that you entered into an NDA and paid a person who accused you of raping her a sum of money to make sure that she did not file a complaint.
Moving on.
As secretary, you will be in charge of maintaining good order and discipline by enforcing the Uniform Code of Military Justice, UCMJ.
In addition to the sexual assault allegations, and by the way, the answer to my second question should have been yes.
I have read multiple reports of your regularly being drunk at work, including by people who worked with you at Fox News.
Do you know that being drunk at work is prohibited for service members under the UCMJ?
pete hegseth
Senator, those are multiple false anonymous reports peddled by NBC News that run directly contradictory to the dozens of men and women at Fox News Channel.
unidentified
I'm not hearing the answer to my question.
In your opening statement, Mr. Hicks, you commit to holding leaders accountable at all levels.
That includes you, of course.
Frankly, as Secretary, you will be on the job 24 /7.
You recently promised some of my Republican colleagues that you stopped drinking and won't drink if confirmed, correct?
pete hegseth
Absolutely.
unidentified
Will you resign as Secretary of Defense if you drink on the job, which is a 24 /7 position?
I've made this commitment on behalf of the men and women I'm serving.
pete hegseth
I've made this commitment on behalf of the men and women I'm serving because it's the most important deployment of my life.
unidentified
I'm not hearing an answer to my question, so I'm going to move on.
While you have made that commitment, you will not commit to resigning if you drink on the job.
As Secretary of Defense, you will swear an oath to the Constitution and not an oath to any man, woman, or president.
Correct?
pete hegseth
Senator, on multiple occasions, including as a young second lieutenant, I have sworn an oath to the Constitution and I'm proud to do so.
Yes, ma 'am.
unidentified
In June of 2020, then-President Trump directed former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to shoot protesters in the legs in downtown D.C. An order Secretary Esper refused to comply with.
Would you carry out such an order from President Trump?
pete hegseth
Senator, I was in the Washington, D.C. National Guard unit that was in Lafayette Square during those events holding a riot shield on behalf of my country.
unidentified
Would you carry out an order to shoot protesters in the legs?
pete hegseth
I saw 50 secret service agents get injured by rioters trying to jump over the fence, set the church on fire, and destroy the statue.
unidentified
You know what, that sounds to me that you will comply with such an order.
You will shoot protesters in the leg.
Moving on.
President Yulek has attacked our allies in recent weeks, refusing to rule out using military force to take over Greenland and the Panama Canal and threatening to make Canada the 51st state.
Would you carry out an order from President Trump to seize Greenland, a territory of our NATO ally Denmark, by force, or would you comply with an order to take over Senator, I will emphasize that...
pete hegseth
President Trump received 77 million votes to be the lawful commander-in-chief of this country.
unidentified
We're not talking about the election.
My question is, would you use our military to take over Greenland or an ally of Denmark?
pete hegseth
Senator, one of the things that President Trump is so good at is never strategically tipping his hand.
And so I would never in this public forum give one way or another direct what orders the president would give me in any context.
unidentified
That sounds to me that you would contemplate carrying out such an order to basically invade Greenland and take over the Panama Canal.
Current DOD policy allows service members and eligible dependents to be reimbursed for travel associated with non-covered reproductive health care, including abortions.
Will you maintain this common sense policy?
pete hegseth
Senator, I've always been personally pro-life.
I know President Trump has as well, and we will...
Review all policies, but our standard is whatever the president wants on this particular issue with my advice, I will take a look at it.
unidentified
If the president tells you that this policy will not be maintained, you will not enable our service members to seek reproductive care.
I don't believe the federal government should be funding travel for abortion.
I just want to note that the other area of serious concern to me is President Trump saying that he wants to use the military to help with mass deportations, which will cost billions of dollars.
And what that will do to readiness is very, very concerning.
Mr. Hexick, I have noticed a disturbing pattern.
You previously have made a series of inflammatory statements about women in combat, LGBTQ service members, Muslim Americans, and Democrats.
Since your nominations, however, you have walked those back on TV and interviews, and most recently in your opening statements.
You are no longer on Fox& Friends, Mr. Hexett.
If confirmed, your words...
Actions and decisions will have real impacts on national security and our service members' lives.
There are close to 3 million personnel in the Department of Defense, $900 billion budget.
I hardly think you are prepared to do the job.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
roger wicker
Thank you.
That wasn't a question, Mr. Hexler.
Thank you, Senator Rono.
Senator Sullivan.
unidentified
Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Mr. Hegseth.
Congratulations on your nomination and thank you and your family for your service and sacrifice.
pete hegseth
Thank you, Senator.
unidentified
Now for the most important question you will receive all day.
In 1935, before the Congress, the father of the United States Air Force General, Billy Mitchell, was testifying about a certain place in the world.
He said, quote, I believe that in the future, whoever holds this place will control the world.
This location is the most strategic place in the world.
What place was Billy Mitchell talking about?
And let me give you a hint, it wasn't Greenland.
pete hegseth
I believe he was talking about the great state of Alaska.
unidentified
He was talking about the great state of Alaska.
Great answer.
If confirmed, will you commit?
To come with me to the great state of Alaska and meet our warriors who are on the front lines every day?
pete hegseth
Senator, I have.
And as I mentioned to you in the past, I did a brief training exercise up at Fort Wainwright at a previous part of my military life.
I look forward to returning.
unidentified
Great.
And I will say, we are on the front lines with this new era of authoritarian aggression.
in Alaska last two years we've had Chinese and Russian naval task forces joint strategic bomber task forces in our EEZ in our aid is and after his election President Trump put on an extensive statement
We will ensure Alaska gets even more defense investments as we fully rebuild our military, especially as Russia and China are making menacing moves in the Pacific.
Mr. Hekseff, if confirmed.
Will you work with me, this committee, and the incoming commander-in-chief on continuing to build up our military assets and infrastructure in Alaska to re-establish deterrence in the Arctic and in the Indo-Pacific?
pete hegseth
If confirmed, Senator, it would be a pleasure to work alongside you and this entire committee to recognize the very real threat in the Indo-Pacific, the very real ways, even these past couple of weeks, that Russia has attempted to probe and push.
In and around Alaska, and also the very real strategic significance of Alaska vis-a-vis shipping lanes through the Arctic.
There are many, many ways in which Alaska is strategically significant and with a shift toward, a necessary shift toward Indo-PACOM.
Alaska, by necessity, will play an important role in that.
unidentified
Thank you, Ms. Hegseth.
I very much appreciate your focus on lethality in warfighting.
We desperately need it.
I want to provide a few examples of the Biden woke, I want to get your comments on it.
Nobody wants an extremist or racist in our military, but one of the most disgraceful and shameful things I've seen over the past four years as a senator on this committee and as a Marine Corps Reserve officer was on day one, the Biden administration played up a false and insulting narrative that our military was chock full of racist and violent extremists.
This reached a pinnacle in this committee when Biden's undersecretary of policy, Colin Call, the number three guy at the Pentagon, testified that one of his top goals would be to, quote, ending violent extremism and systemic racism within the ranks of the military.
He had no data on this.
The media loved it, fanned the flames, wrote baloney stories on this false narrative.
Disappointingly, some of my colleagues...
On the other side of the aisle here, reinforce this ridiculous narrative.
One even suggesting that almost 10% of our uniformed military was extremists.
200,000 members.
Ridiculous, by the way, from this committee on the other side of the aisle.
Mr. Hegseth, unlike Undersecretary Call.
You have a lot of experience with our military.
Do you believe the military is a systemically racist organization?
And if confirmed, will you commit to defend, not denigrate our troops?
pete hegseth
Senator, I was also offended by those comments because anyone who's been on active duty in the National Guard, man, woman, in units, understand that it's fundamentally false.
unidentified
By the way, there's three studies.
To his credit, Secretary Austin put out one of them that said exactly what you just said.
Fundamentally false.
pete hegseth
Senator, they knew it.
Anyone who'd been in a unit knew it.
One could argue that if not the least, one of the least racist institutions in our country is the United States military.
Being a racist in our military has not been tolerated for a very long time.
unidentified
One of the greatest civil rights organizations in America.
Would you agree the U.S. military is one of the most forward-leaning, Probably one of the greatest civil rights organizations in American history.
pete hegseth
No doubt.
unidentified
Let me turn to another one.
Last year at a hearing before this committee, I called on Biden's Secretary of the Navy to resign because he's failing in his ability to build ships.
We are being completely outbuilt in terms of ships by the Chinese, and yet this Secretary of the Navy has been focused on climate change, not...
Building ships in lethality.
Mr. Hegseth, if your Secretary of the Navy ends up focusing on climate change more than shipbuilding in lethality, will you commit to me to fire him?
pete hegseth
My Secretary of the Navy, should I be confirmed, sir, will not be focused on climate change in the Navy, just like the Secretary of the Air Force won't be focused on LG-powered fighter jets.
Or the Secretary of the Army will not be focused on electric-powered tanks.
unidentified
We're going to be focused on lethality and defeating our enemy.
And I appreciate that.
The other thing President Biden did, his first executive order as president, was to focus on transgender surgeries for active duty troops.
This is all I'm describing the woke military here under Biden over the last four years.
If confirmed, and you issued an order...
Senator, I know the troops will rejoice.
They will love it.
pete hegseth
They will love it.
And we've already seen it in recruiting numbers.
There's already been a surge since President Trump won the election of recruiting.
unidentified
Do you think our military will follow that order?
pete hegseth
Our military will follow that order, Senator.
unidentified
Gladly.
pete hegseth
Gladly because they want to focus on lethality and warfighting and get all the woke political prerogative, politically correct social justice, political stuff out of the military.
roger wicker
Thank you, Senator Sullivan.
Thank you, Senator Cain.
tim kaine
Thank you, Mr. Heggseth.
Looking forward to this opportunity to talk.
I want to return to the incident that you referenced a minute ago that occurred in Monterey, California in October 2017.
At that time, you were still married to your second wife, correct?
pete hegseth
I believe so.
tim kaine
And you had just fathered a child by a woman who would later become your third wife, correct?
pete hegseth
Senator, I was falsely charged.
Fully investigated and completely cleared.
tim kaine
So you think you are completely cleared because you committed no crime?
That's your definition of cleared?
You had just fathered a child two months before by a woman that was not your wife.
I am shocked that you would stand here and say you're completely cleared.
Can you so casually cheat on a second wife and cheat on the mother of a child that had been born two months before and you tell us you were completely cleared?
How is that a complete clear?
pete hegseth
Senator, her child's name is Gwendolyn Hope Hegseth.
And she's a child of God, and she's seven years old.
tim kaine
And you cheated on the mother of that child less than two months after that daughter was born, didn't you?
pete hegseth
Those were false charges.
It was fully investigated, and I was completely cleared.
And I am so grateful for the marriage I have to this woman behind me.
tim kaine
You've admitted that you had sex at that hotel in October 2017.
You said it was consensual, isn't that correct?
pete hegseth
Anything...
tim kaine
You've admitted that it was consensual and you were still married and you just had a child by another woman.
pete hegseth
Again.
tim kaine
How do you explain your judgment?
pete hegseth
Completely false charges against me.
Fully investigated and I'm completely clear.
tim kaine
You have admitted that you had sex while you were married to wife two after you just had fathered a child by wife three.
You've admitted that.
Now, if it had been a sexual assault, that would be disqualifying to be Secretary of Defense, wouldn't it?
pete hegseth
If it's a false claim then and a false claim now.
tim kaine
If it had been...
A sexual assault, that would be disqualifying to be Secretary of Defense, wouldn't it?
pete hegseth
That was a false claim.
He's talking about a hypothetical.
tim kaine
So you can't tell me whether someone who has committed a sexual assault is disqualified from being Secretary of Defense?
pete hegseth
Senator, I know in my instance, and I'm talking about my instance only, it was a false claim.
tim kaine
But you acknowledge that you cheated on your wife.
And that you cheated on the woman by whom you had just fathered a child.
You have admitted that.
pete hegseth
I will allow your words to speak for them.
tim kaine
You're not retracting that today.
That's good.
I assume that in each of your weddings, you've pledged to be faithful to your wife.
You've taken an oath to do that, haven't you?
pete hegseth
Senator, as I've acknowledged to everyone in this committee, not a perfect person, not claiming to be.
tim kaine
But no, I just asked a simple question.
You've taken an oath like you would take an oath to be Secretary of Defense in all of your weddings to be faithful to your wife.
Is that correct?
pete hegseth
I have failed in things in my life, and thankfully I'm redeemed by my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
tim kaine
In finalizing divorces from your first and second wives, were there non-disclosure agreements in connection with those divorces?
pete hegseth
Senator, not that I'm aware of.
tim kaine
If there were, would you agree to release those first and second wives from any confidentiality agreement?
pete hegseth
Senator, it's not something I'm aware of.
tim kaine
But if there were, you would agree to release them from a confidentiality?
pete hegseth
Senator, that's not my responsibility.
tim kaine
Did you ever engage in any acts of physical violence against any of your wives?
pete hegseth
Senator, absolutely not.
tim kaine
But you would agree with me that if someone had committed physical violence against a spouse, that would be disqualifying to serve as Secretary of Defense, correct?
pete hegseth
Senator, absolutely not have I ever done that.
tim kaine
You would agree that that would be a disqualifying offense, would you not?
pete hegseth
Senator, you're talking about a hypothetical.
tim kaine
I don't think it's a hypothetical.
Violence against spouses occurs every day.
And if you as a leader are not capable of saying that physical violence against a spouse should be a disqualifying fact for being secretary of the most powerful nation in the world, you're demonstrating an astonishing lack of judgment.
The incident in Monterey led to a criminal charge, a criminal investigation, a private settlement, and a cash payment to the woman who filed the complaint.
And there was also a non-disclosure agreement, correct?
pete hegseth
It was a confidential settlement agreement off of a nuisance lawsuit.
tim kaine
During an interview, you claimed that you settled the matter because you were worried that if it became public, it might hurt your career.
Do you maintain that you were blackmailed?
pete hegseth
Senator, I maintain that...
False claims were made against me.
And ultimately, I had the opportunity to attest my innocence in those false claims.
tim kaine
But you didn't reveal any of this to President Trump or the transition team as they were considering you to be nominated for Secretary of Defense.
You didn't reveal the...
The action.
You didn't reveal the criminal complaint.
You didn't reveal the criminal investigation.
You didn't reveal the settlement.
You didn't reveal the cash payment.
Why didn't you inform the Commander-in-Chief and the transition team of this very relevant event?
pete hegseth
Senator, I've appreciated every part of the process with the transition team.
They have been open and honest with me.
We've had great conversations between the two of us.
And I appreciate the opportunity that President-elect...
tim kaine
But you chose not to reveal this, right?
Because you knew it would hurt your chances.
So you chose not to reveal this really important thing to the Commander-in-Chief and the transition team because you were worried about your chances rather than trying to be candid with the future President of the United States.
Are there any other important facts that you chose not to reveal to the President-elect and his team as they were considering you to be Secretary of Defense?
pete hegseth
Senator, I sit here before you, an open book, as everyone who's watched this process.
tim kaine
With multiple nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements tying the hands of many people who would like to comment to us.
Much has been made of your workplace behavior as a leader of nonprofit veterans organizations and as a Fox News contributor.
Were you fired from either of the leadership positions with the nonprofits?
pete hegseth
I was the leader, I was the CEO of Consumer Veterans for America and Executive Director of Vets for Freedom and I was never fired from a veterans organization.
tim kaine
Do you have nondisclosure agreements with either of those organizations?
pete hegseth
Not that I'm aware of Senator.
tim kaine
Many of your work colleagues have said that you show up For work under the influence of alcohol or drunk.
I know you've denied that, but you would agree with me, right, that if that was the case, that would be disqualifying for somebody to be Secretary of Defense.
pete hegseth
Senator, those are all anonymous false claims, and the totality...
tim kaine
They're not anonymous.
pete hegseth
The letters on the record here...
tim kaine
They're not anonymous.
pete hegseth
On the record, people who work with me at Vets for Freedom, Concerned Vets for America, and Fox News...
tim kaine
One of your colleagues said...
pete hegseth
Working hard every day on behalf...
tim kaine
One of your colleagues said that you got drunk at an event at a bar and chanted kill all Muslims.
Another colleague, not anonymous, we have this, said that you took co-workers to a strip club.
You were drunk.
You tried to dance with strippers.
You had to be held off the stage.
And one of your employees in that event...
Now, I know you denied these things, but isn't that the kind of behavior that, if true, would be disqualifying for somebody to be Secretary of Defense?
pete hegseth
Senator, anonymous false charges.
tim kaine
They're not anonymous.
And I'll just conclude and say this to the chairman.
You claimed that this was all anonymous.
We have seen records.
With names attached to all of these, including the name of your own mother.
So don't make this into some anonymous press thing.
We have seen multiple names of colleagues consistently throughout your career that have talked about your abusive actions.
unidentified
I think he's over his time.
He's way over his time.
tim kaine
I now yield.
roger wicker
And thank you very much.
I now ask unanimous consent to enter into the record a family court.
Order concerning the appointment of parenting time between Mr. Hegseth and Mrs. Samantha Hegseth.
It states that there were no claims of domestic abuse or probable evidence of abuse in the relationship.
Without objection, that would be added to the record.
And we now move to Senator Kramer.
unidentified
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Mr. Hagseth, for your service, for your willingness to endure this.
And I'm sorry for what has been happening to you, particularly the very idea that you should have to sit there and answer hypothetical potential in somebody's imagination crimes that may take place at some point.
And wouldn't that disqualify you if you were a murderer or if you were a rapist?
Unfair.
Unfair.
And I'm embarrassed for this behavior.
But first, I want to say thank you for your strong proclamation, unapologetic proclamation of faith in Jesus Christ.
I sat here and listened to your opening statement and thought, wow, this is a guy who in today's culture is willing to stand up and say the first thing is first, faith in Jesus Christ.
And I was reminded of what Christ said in Matthew, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.
And these things shall be added unto you.
You are going to have a great future as our secretary, and I look forward to that day happening.
I just want to get back to you mentioned, and it got rather dismissed quickly, pivoted, as a lot of things do.
You'd mentioned that you were not able to serve with your National Guard unit in the protection of the inauguration of Joe Biden because of a...
Tattoo, a Christian tattoo.
Can you elaborate just a little bit on what is this very offensive, extremist, racist tattoo that you have?
pete hegseth
It's a tattoo I have right here, Senator.
It's called the Jerusalem Cross.
It's a historic Christian symbol.
In fact, interestingly, recently I attended briefly the memorial ceremony of former President Jimmy Carter on the floor of our National Cathedral.
On the front page of his program was the very same Jerusalem cross.
It is a Christian religious symbol.
And when the events happened before preceding the Biden inauguration, I was a part of the mobilization to defend that inauguration.
As someone who'd been a proud supporter of Donald Trump, but also a member of the military, had orders to come to Washington, D.C. to guard that inauguration.
And at the last minute, those orders were revoked.
I'd never had orders revoked before.
I'd been on orders to a lot of places to do a lot of difficult and dangerous things.
They were revoked and I was not told why.
Later when I wrote my book, I was able to get information that was because I had been identified.
Someone who'd served in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Guantanamo Bay, holding a riot shield outside the White House.
I'd been identified as an extremist.
Someone unworthy of guarding the inauguration.
Of an incoming American president.
And if that's happening to me, Senator, how many other men and women?
How many other patriots?
How many other people of conscience?
We haven't even talked about COVID and the tens of thousands of service members who are kicked out because of an experimental vaccine.
In President Trump's Defense Department, they will be apologized to.
They will be reinstituted with pay and rank.
Things like focusing on extremism, Senator.
Have created a climate inside our ranks that feel political when it hasn't ever been political.
Those are the types of things that are going to change.
And Senator Sullivan, you mentioned that study.
After a whole study was held, extremism working group study, a hundred extremists were identified in the ranks of three million.
And most of those were gang-related.
So it was a made-up boogeyman to begin with.
unidentified
You, Mr. Hakeseth, are not the extremists.
The people who would deny you your expression of faith...
Are the extremists.
They're the racists.
They're the bigots.
You're the one that is protecting their right to be one.
Thank you for that.
I want to go to another point in your opening statement, and it's summarized in this beautiful one-sentence paragraph.
You said, quote, leaders at all levels will be held accountable, and warfighting and lethality and the readiness of the troops and their families will be our only focus.
At that moment, in my mind's eye, I heard soldiers, airmen, Marines, sailors, guardians, from the Pentagon to the Pacific and everywhere in between, applaud.
Applaud.
And they're thinking, it's about time.
I can get on board with that idea.
And quite honestly, and I want to get to this because I think it's so important.
I would say, I don't know, just about every, maybe everyone, I'm trying to think of an exception to this, that wears the uniform that has ever come before this committee or that I've met with privately, publicly, that I've been on tours with, that I've traveled with, that wear the uniform, whether it's with four stars or no stars, agrees with that statement.
And I just want to caution you, and I'd be interested in your feedback on this.
You know, there's been a lot of talk about firing...
Woke generals, creating the purge group and all those things you and I have talked about.
I would say give those men and women a chance under new leadership.
My favorite painting in the rotunda is of George Washington retiring his commission.
Establishing on day one a man who could have been king chose to be a civilian leader of this country.
And I just would encourage you to...
To trust them first and look forward to them saluting the civilian leadership of this country.
So just maybe if you could spend a minute just elaborating a little bit about the wokeness, where it comes from, and who will be held accountable.
pete hegseth
The wokeness comes not from the uniform rank, Senator, but from the political class.
On day one, on January 20th, when President Trump is sworn in, he will issue a new set of lawful orders.
And the leadership of our services will have an opportunity to follow those lawful orders or not.
Those lawful orders will not be based on politics.
They will be based on readiness, accountability, standards, and lethality.
That is the process by which leaders will be judged.
And accountability is coming because everybody in this room knows if you're a rifleman and you lose your rifle, they're throwing the book at you.
But if you're a general who loses a war, You get a promotion.
That's not going to happen in Donald Trump's Pentagon.
There will be real standards for success.
Everyone from the top, from the most senior general to the most lowly private, will ensure that they're treated fairly, men and women, inside that system.
unidentified
I also just want to commend you for your answers to Senator Fisher's questions about nuclear deterrence.
But I also appreciate the fact that you emphasize reputational deterrence, because deterrence is not a weapon system.
It is an attitude, and you project an attitude of deterrence.
Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
roger wicker
Thank you, Senator Kramer.
Senator King.
unidentified
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Hessek, welcome to the committee.
pete hegseth
Thank you, Senator.
unidentified
You've made several references to your religion today.
I share that.
Devotion to Christianity, but I must say I've been reminded somewhat of Saul on his way to Damascus.
You seem to have been converted over the last several weeks and several months.
You wrote in your book just last year that, but if we're going to, this is the book War on Warriors, but if we're going to send our boys to fight, and it should be boys, we need to unleash them to win.
Later on, our boys should not fight by rules written by dignified men.
Which is it?
Is it only boys can fight?
I mean, you've testified here today that you believe in women in combat, but you didn't just last year.
How do you explain your conversion?
pete hegseth
Senator, my testimony is clear.
Writing a book is different than being Secretary of Defense, and I look forward to leading the men and women of our military.
And my comment there, Senator, Was about the burdensome rules of engagement that members of our generation, men and women, have seen on the battlefield.
And one thing President Trump changed in meaningful ways that led to meaningful developments on the battlefield.
When President Trump took control in the first term, ISIS was raging across Iraq.
And as someone who spent a lot of time there with other men and women who invested in that mission, it was a very difficult moment to see the black flag of ISIS fly.
And what President Trump did was untie the hands of warfighters.
He changed the rules of engagement, untied the hands of warfighters, and allowed them to complete their mission and crush ISIS.
It has not just tactical implications, operational and strategic implications, how you allow warfighters to go about winning and fighting their wars.
President Trump understands that, and within the laws of war and the Uniform Code of Military Justice, we are going to unleash...
Warfighters to win wars so that wars don't drag on forever, as our generation has seen.
unidentified
So are you rejecting Title 18 and Title 42, I think, also has provisions that incorporate the Geneva Convention and the laws of armed combat?
Are you saying that those laws should be repealed?
That is the law of the land right now.
pete hegseth
Senator, we have...
Laws on the books from the Geneva Conventions into the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
And then underneath that, you have layers in which standard or temporary rules of engagements are put into place.
We fight enemies also, Senator, as our generation understands, that play by no rules.
They use civilians as human shields.
unidentified
So are you saying that the Geneva Convention should not be observed?
We follow rules.
pete hegseth
We follow rules, but we don't need burdensome rules of engagement that make it...
It's impossible for us to win these wars.
unidentified
You're saying two different things.
You're saying we follow rules, but we don't have to follow the rules in all cases.
Is that correct?
pete hegseth
Senator, I'm making some rules.
Senator, I'm making an important tactical distinction that warfighters will understand.
That there are the rules we swear an oath to defend, which are incredibly important, and this committee understands, and helps set them.
And then there are those echelons above reality from, you know...
Corps to division, to brigade, to battalion, and by the time it trickles down to a company or a platoon or a squad level, you have a rules of engagement that nobody recognizes.
And then it makes you incredibly difficult to actually do your job on the battlefield.
That's the kind of assessment and look that an Army major...
We'll give to this process if I was confirmed to be the Secretary of Defense.
unidentified
Your quote is...
pete hegseth
True understanding of that.
unidentified
Your quote in 2024, our boys should not fight by rules written by dignified men in mahogany rooms 80 years ago.
That would be the Geneva Convention.
America should fight by its own rules, and we should fight to win or not go in at all.
Are you saying that the Geneva Convention provisions, which clearly outlaw torture of prisoners...
Do not, should not apply in the future.
pete hegseth
Senator, how we treat our wounded, how we treat our prisoners, the applications of the Javinia Conventions are incredibly important.
But we would all have to acknowledge that the way we fought our wars back when the Geneva Conventions were written are a lot different than the asymmetric, non-conventional environment of counterinsurgency that I confronted in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I was the senior counterinsurgency instructor in Afghanistan.
My job was to understand how the Taliban and al-Qaeda operated so that NATO units coming in could be informed of what was happening.
We knew our rules of engagement, and when they were more restrictive, they took advantage of them, and it put our men and women in a more dangerous and difficult place.
For future wars we fight, we need to have someone atop the Pentagon, sir, who understands how those ripple effects impact the men and women in uniform.
unidentified
Well, I just want to understand your position.
Your position is torture is okay.
Is that correct?
Waterboarding torture is no longer prohibited.
pete hegseth
Senator, that is not what I said.
I've never been party to torture.
We are a country that fights by the rule of law.
And our men and women always do.
And yet we have too many people here in air conditioned offices that like to point fingers at the guys in dark and dangerous places.
The gals in helicopters in enemy territory who are doing things that people in Washington, D.C. would never dare to do.
unidentified
Or send, in many cases, In one of your interviews, you said they're willing to do this.
You're talking about Donald Trump and Senator Cruz.
They're willing to do something like waterboarding if it's going to keep us safe.
Are you okay with waterboarding?
pete hegseth
Senator, the law of the land is that waterboarding is not legal.
unidentified
You now recant, is that correct?
They are willing to do something like waterboarding if it's going to keep us safe.
You expressed that with approval.
pete hegseth
Senator, I'm very familiar with that as a concept, having spent a year at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, guarding 700 of those that attacked us on 9 /11.
unidentified
I just want to be clear, are we going to abide by the Geneva Convention and the prohibitions on torture, or are we not?
Is it going to depend on the circumstances?
pete hegseth
As I've stated multiple times, the Geneva Conventions are what we base ours, but what an America First national security policy is not going to do is hand its prerogatives over to international bodies that make decisions about how our men and women make decisions on the battlefield.
America First understands we send Americans for a clear mission and a clear objective.
We equip them properly for that objective.
We give them everything they need, and then we stand behind them.
With the rules of engagement that allow them to fight decisively to defeat America's enemies, which is why we say...
unidentified
I just have a few seconds left, Mr. Huffington.
I was very disturbed in your opening statement where you talked about the priorities that you have.
We will work with our partners and allies to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific from the communist Chinese.
There's not a single mention in this statement about Ukraine or Russia.
Is this code for we're going to abandon Ukraine?
pete hegseth
Senator, that's a presidential level policy decision.
He's made it very clear that he would like to see a- You talk a lot about deterrence of China.
unidentified
I would submit that Xi Jinping is watching what we do very carefully.
If we abandon Ukraine, that would be the strongest signal possible to Xi Jinping that he can take Taiwan without significant resistance from this country.
roger wicker
Thank you, Senator King.
Senator Scott of Florida.
rick scott
Mr. Chairman, I'd like to enter into the record two letters which testify to Mr. Hedgeseth.
Leadership record at Concerned Veterans for America.
The first letter submitted by Mr. Darren Selnick, a senior advisor at CFA, stated that there's been no better leader, policy champion, or fighter for the military and veterans in peak.
He was instrumental in 2014 and 2017 in ensuring that veterans had health care choice.
The second letter submitted by Mr. Kacen Sparrow, Digital Media Director of CVA from 2015 to 2017, stated...
Pete brought incredible energy, focus, and a clear vision to the organization and showed everything that the team accomplished together.
roger wicker
And I similarly asked to submit to the record a letter from Paul J. Roberts, retired colonel, U.S. Army Special Forces, speaking to the unwavering integrity of Mr. Hegseth.
Is there objection?
Without objection, those three will be admitted.
Senator Scott.
unidentified
All right.
rick scott
First, congratulations on your nomination.
pete hegseth
Thank you, Senator.
rick scott
And thank you for being willing to serve our nation.
I served in the Navy.
I'm really proud of my dad.
He was crazy.
He did awful combat jumps with the 82nd Airborne.
He, after that, survived all that and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.
And what they went through, it was hell.
So I have a lot of respect for him and for everybody that puts on the uniform and serves in battle and has to lead people in battle because being on a ship, that didn't happen to me, but I had a lot of friends that happened to him.
It clearly happened to my dad.
I've served on this committee for six years, two years under President Trump and the past 400, President Joe Biden.
I've seen how the Biden-Harris administration pushed the DOD to prioritize wokeness over being the most lethal military force in the world.
It's our readiness, our national security, and our ability to recruit people who are willing to put their lives on the line for our country.
Can you talk about some of the changes we can make to improve recruitment and rebuild our military into the most lethal force in the world?
pete hegseth
First of all, Senator, thank you for the question.
Thank you for your time.
I think the first and most important thing we could have done is elect Donald Trump as the new commander-in-chief.
Because past is prologue.
Our warfighters understand what kind of commander-in-chief they're going to get.
In President Donald Trump, someone who stands behind them, someone who gives them clear missions, someone who ends wars decisively, and the issue of Ukraine was mentioned, and ensures new wars are not started.
There was a minor incursion under Barack Obama into Crimea, followed by nothing under President Trump, followed by an all-out assault by Vladimir Putin into Ukraine under the Biden administration.
That did not happen under Donald Trump.
Donald Trump managed the Taliban.
Under the Biden administration, Afghanistan collapsed tragically, ending in the lives of 13 at Abbey Gate, who we remember every single day, and no one was held accountable for that.
Chinese spy balloons were flying over the country.
None of that happened under Donald Trump, and our warfighters understand that.
So there's no better recruiter, in my mind, for our military than President Donald Trump.
My job is to come alongside him, should I be confirmed, and continue to emphasize his emphasis On warfighting, on getting anything that doesn't contribute to meritocracy out of how decisions are made inside the Pentagon.
What gender you are, what race you are, your views on climate change, or whether you are a person of conscience and your faith should have no bearing on whether you get promoted or whether you're selected to go to West Point or whether you graduate from Ranger School.
The only thing that should matter is...
How capable are you at your job?
How excellent are you at your job?
I served in multi-ethnic units in every place that I were, every place that I served.
None of that mattered.
But suddenly we re-inject DEI and critical race theory dividing troops into different categories, oppressor and oppressed, in ways that they otherwise just want to work together.
That's why I've pointed out before, and I'll say it again, because I'm sure it'll be quoted to me at some point.
The dumbest phrase in military history is our unity is our strength.
No, our shared purpose is our strength.
Our shared mission is our strength.
We are one DOD community of all committed to the same mission.
It has nothing to do with your background.
It has to do with what your commitment is to the country.
And that is my solemn pledge to every single person that would put the uniform on and reflects.
President Trump's priorities as well.
Senator.
rick scott
Thank you.
You know, we talked a little bit about the fact the Pentagon can't do an audit, all right?
Can you talk about, to me, I've run big businesses.
It's all about accountability.
If you want to get an audit done, you can get an audit done.
You might get a letter saying there's things you have to fix, but it all goes to accountability, and we haven't had it.
So can you talk about how you bring accountability to the table, what you've done in the past, and what you're going to do with regard to bringing accountability to the Pentagon?
pete hegseth
I meant it when I said it in the opening statement, Senator.
I know what I don't know.
I know I've never run an organization of 3 million people with a budget of $850 billion.
But what I do know is that I've led men and women.
I've led people.
Leadership of people and motivation of people and a clear vision of people where you build a team.
Cast that vision.
Empower people properly.
I want smarter and more capable people around me than me.
And you will get that at the department.
I cast the clear vision.
Build the plan.
Work it.
We set the metrics.
And everyone is held accountable.
I know.
Our incoming businessman president believes in accountability and holding people accountable.
That will happen at the Pentagon.
I mean, this has been a problem for a long time.
Secretary Rumsfeld gave a speech on September 10, 2001, that's mostly forgotten.
But it was about the need for acquisition reform, cutting tail to give to teeth, to warfighters.
And then 9-11 happened.
These are problems that have been persistent for a long time.
But now we have new threats.
And we need the urgency of this moment.
As you said, Mr. Chairman, the most dangerous moment we've been since the end of the Cold War and possibly since World War II.
The urgency to do everything possible to get the capabilities into the hands of warfighters, emergency powers, Defense Production Act, whatever it takes, and an audit is certainly part of it.
rick scott
Why do you want to do this?
Why do you want to do this job?
What drives you?
roger wicker
You have 30 seconds.
pete hegseth
Because I love my country, Senator, and I've dedicated my life to the warfighters.
People see me as someone who hosts a morning show on television.
But people that really know me know where my heart's at.
It's with the guys in this audience who've had my back and I've had theirs.
We've been in some of the darkest and most difficult places you can ever be in.
You come back a different person.
And only by the grace of God am I here before you today.
I'm doing this job for them.
unidentified
Thank you.
For all of them.
roger wicker
Thank you, Mr. Hegseth.
Senator Warren.
elizabeth warren
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And Mr. Hegseth, thank you.
Thank you for your service.
So if you're confirmed as Secretary of Defense, you will oversee our military, including about a quarter of a million women who currently serve on active duty in the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Space Forces, and the Marines.
And I have serious concerns that your behavior toward women...
Disqualifies you from serving in this role.
Now, I've been trying to get answers from you for quite some time on this.
You haven't wanted to meet or to answer any of my questions, so we'll just have to do it here and dive in.
I want to pick up on some of the questions asked by Senators Shaheen and Gillibrand and Hirono, and I just want to make sure we have a list of some of the facts that I think are undisputed.
I'm not going to talk about anonymous sources.
I'm just going to quote you directly.
We've got the video.
We've got it in print.
So going back to January 2013, you told a Fox News interviewer that women in the military simply couldn't measure up to men in the military, saying that allowing women to serve in combat roles would force the military to lower the bar.
You picked up on that same theme in 2015, making remarks on Fox News, referring to women in combat as, quote, it would erode standards.
June 2024, you said on Ben Shapiro's podcast, quote, women shouldn't be in combat at all.
And then, of course, we've talked about it in 2024.
He published a book.
And you say on page 26 of your book, we need moms.
But not in the military, especially in combat units.
Page 48 of your book, you claim that women should not be in combat roles because men are distracted by women.
And then 10 weeks ago, you appeared on the Sean Ryan show and said, I'm straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles.
Now, I presume you recall making all these statements?
pete hegseth
Senator, I'm not familiar with the article you're pointing to in 2013, but it underscores my argument completely, because in that 2013 argument, I was talking about standards.
Standards are what it's always been about, Senator.
elizabeth warren
Please, let's not have the same fight again.
pete hegseth
Always been about Senator Sanders.
elizabeth warren
I've quoted you directly.
We've got the video.
We're happy to show it.
But I want to be clear here.
For 12 years, you were quite open about your views, and your views were consistently the same.
Women are inferior soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen, and guardians.
And in case anyone missed the point, and these are your words from 10 weeks ago, women absolutely straight up should not be permitted to serve in combat.
And I notice on each of these quotes, those are said without qualification.
It's not by how much you can lift or how fast you can run.
They don't belong in combat.
Period.
Or your words, straight up.
And then, on November 9th, 2024, just 32 days after your last public comment saying that women absolutely should not be in combat, you declared that, quote, some of our greatest warriors are women.
And you support having them serve in combat.
Now, that is a very, very big about-face.
In a very, very short period of time.
So help me understand, Mr. Hegseth, what extraordinary event happened in that 32-day period that made you change the core values you had expressed for the preceding 12 years?
pete hegseth
Senator, again, I very much appreciate you bringing up my comments from 2013, because for me, this issue has always been about standards.
And unfortunately, because of some of the people that have been in political power for the last four years, priorities other than standards, lethality, and meritocracy have driven decision-making.
elizabeth warren
I'm quoting you from the podcast.
Women shouldn't be in combat at all.
Is there a reference to standards that they should be there if they can carry, if they can run?
I don't see that at all, Mr. Hegseth.
What I see is that there's a 32-day period in which you suddenly have another description about your views of women in the military.
And I just want to know, what changed in the 32 days that the song you sang is not the song you come in here today to sing?
pete hegseth
Senator, the concerns I have and the concerns that many have had, especially in ground combat units, is that in pursuit of certain percentages or quotas, standards have been changed.
And that makes the combat more difficult for everybody involved.
elizabeth warren
Let me make a suggestion about what happened in that 32 days.
You got a nomination from President Trump.
Now, I've heard of deathbed conversions, but this is the first time I've heard of a nomination conversion.
And I hope you understand.
That many women serving in the military right now might think that if you can convert so rapidly your long-held and aggressively pursued views in just 32 days, that 32 days after you get confirmed, maybe you'll just reverse those views and go back to the old guy who said, straight up, women do not belong in combat.
Now, Mr. Hegseth, you have written that after they retire, generals should be banned from working for the defense industry for 10 years.
You and I agree on the corrosive effects of the revolving door between the Pentagon and defense contractors.
It's something I would have liked to talk to you about if you'd come and been willing to visit with me.
But the question I have for you on this is, will you put your money where your mouth is?
And agree that when you leave this job, you will not work for the defense industry for 10 years?
pete hegseth
Senator, it's not even a question I've thought about.
You can think about it right now.
It's not one.
My motivation for this job has never been about what could conceivably come next.
elizabeth warren
Time is short.
I just need a yes or no.
pete hegseth
I would consult with the president about what the policy should be in the defense department.
elizabeth warren
In other words, you're quite sure.
That every general who serves should not go directly into the defense industry for 10 years?
You're not willing to make that same pledge?
pete hegseth
I'm not a general, Senator.
elizabeth warren
You'll be the one, let us just be clear, in charge of the generals?
So you're saying, sauce for the goose, but certainly not sauce for the gander?
pete hegseth
I would want to see what the policy of the president is.
elizabeth warren
Oh, I'll bet you would.
roger wicker
Thank you, Senator Warren.
Senator Tuberville.
tommy tuberville
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thanks for your hard work and your committee's hard work.
Mr. Chairman, this has gone well.
unidentified
That was insane.
tommy tuberville
I'd like to submit this letter.
Topic conduct at Vets for Freedom for Hexeth.
I'd like to submit that for the record, please.
roger wicker
Without objection.
tommy tuberville
General Hexeth, I mean Mr. Hexeth.
Thank you.
Thanks for being here today and with your family.
I know this is tough.
That's what it's all about, though.
You're a tough guy.
Been here for a while.
Never seen this many people that are here for a support of a nominee.
That's impressive.
I met with a lot of them yesterday, and they are very passionate.
So thank you for willing to take this on, and congratulations on your nomination.
I'm worried about recruiting.
I mean, we can look at everything out there and talk about all these things, these narratives.
But at the end of the day, I came from a team sport where the people, the players actually won the game.
And that's what's going to happen here.
You're not going to win the game.
You're going to set the precedent.
You're going to get the blame or the credit.
But there's people that's going to be under you that's going to set the precedent for the future of our country now.
The war games that we play on our computers with our adversaries right now, for us, it don't look good because our military, we're in trouble.
Our whole country's in trouble.
Thank God President Trump got elected November 5th.
We couldn't have kept down this same path.
That could not happen.
I met with a couple of generals this summer.
Coach, we're spending more money on transgender restrooms than we are coverings for $100 million airplanes.
That's not acceptable.
We can't do that.
That's not what this is about.
Met with a couple of Navy SEALs not too long ago.
They just got back from crawling around in the mud and the muck.
Overseas, unknown places.
Couldn't tell you where they've been.
Carrying a weapon, obviously protecting us and our allies.
And the first week they're back, what'd they do?
They had to go through a week of DEI training.
Both are now out.
They give it up.
It was embarrassing to them of what they had to do.
We've lost all sight of what we're doing in our military.
Lost all sight.
It starts with leadership, and it starts with recruiting.
Why would a young man used to, when I was growing up, if you couldn't afford to go to college, you had the opportunity to go to the military where you could learn to trade.
You could learn.
You could make a living for your family and eventually possibly get an education.
That was a good alternative.
We've forgotten that.
We've forgotten it.
We can't give up on our young people.
Young people are our number one commodity in this country, and they're the ones that's going to live and die for the freedom of this country in the future.
So, again, thank you for taking this on.
Recruiting.
Our service academies are meant to serve as our primary commissioning source of officers.
It now appears that they are a breeding ground for leftist activists and champions of DEI and critical theory.
Now, not all.
But some.
And some is way too much.
How are we going to eliminate this, Mr. Exton?
How are we going to get this back on track to where we grow our leaders?
I had a young man that forever he wanted to go to West Point.
I got him a nomination.
I got him accepted.
And he turned it down.
He says, Coach, I'm not getting involved with that mess.
How are we going to overcome this?
pete hegseth
Senator, thank you for the question.
And I think it comes down to leadership.
Clear leadership.
From President Trump through me, should I be nominated?
And that's what soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and guardians see, is clear leadership.
It says, this is what we believe.
This is the mission we're going to give you.
Here's the equipment we're going to give you, and here's how we're going to support you.
Because the military, at a lot of levels, Senator, has been, for generations, a family business.
You know, my grandfather served.
My father served, I served, my daughter served.
That chain has started to break.
With generations of people my age and older talking to their kids and grandkids, wondering, pondering, do I want them to serve?
Will my country use them responsibly?
When that kind of doubt is cast...
You get serious recruiting problems like we do right now.
You get questions about whether I want my son or daughter to follow my path in West Point, which I've heard multiple times.
And so you have to rip, root, and branch the politics and divisive policies out of these institutions and then focus them on creating and preparing actual future military leadership.
West Point traditionally is focused on engineering, and rightfully so.
Because in our fighting forces across all services, we need the best and brightest minds in engineering, in addition to military studies.
That's what I did at ROTC at Princeton, military science.
And we need more uniformed members going back into West Point, the Air Force Academy, the Naval Academy, as a tour to teach with their wisdom of what they've learned in uniform.
Instead of just more civilian professors that came from the same left-wing woke universities that they left, and then try to push that into service academies.
When that changes, Senator, I truly believe under Donald Trump we will have a recruiting renaissance.
That sends signals to the world, to our enemies and our allies alike, that America's back, and thankfully then we have the men and women of our country willing to want to serve.
tommy tuberville
Thank you, and it's about attitude, too.
I love your attitude.
You've got to be motivated.
You've got to understand that people...
They will hook up with you.
They will understand and learn under their leaders.
Why would you fight for a country that you don't love?
That's what I keep hearing from a lot of our college kids, that they're getting from these woke universities that they go to.
And I worked at a lot of them.
That is one of the excuses I get from our kids.
We've got to break that.
Another one.
According to the Pentagon, between 2001 and 2024, the number of civilian employees in the Office of the Secretary of Defense has nearly doubled from 1,500 to 3,000.
Civilians on Joint Chiefs has increased from 191 to almost 1,000.
Our military end strength goes down.
Our staff numbers are exploding.
What are you going to do about that?
pete hegseth
Senator, we're going to address that.
We won World War II with seven four-star generals.
Today we have 44 four-star generals.
There's an inverse relationship between the size of staffs and victory on the battlefield.
We don't need more bureaucracy at the top.
We need more warfighters empowered at the bottom.
So it's going to be my job working with those that we hire and those inside the administration to identify those places where fat can be cut so it can go toward lethality.
roger wicker
Thank you, Senator Tuberville.
Senator Peters.
unidentified
Thank you, Mr. Chairman Stregshoff.
Welcome to this committee.
pete hegseth
Thank you.
unidentified
You know, we have far too much partisanship in our country right now.
I think it's eating away at the fabric of what has always made this country great, about bringing people together from all sorts of backgrounds, all sorts of experiences.
We know that in our motto, together as one, we are strong.
And so we and this committee, and certainly I speak for myself, but I think I speak for many of my colleagues, want to take partisanship out of this proceeding as much as we can.
I'm not naive.
It's out there.
I get it.
But we've got to try to take that out.
And I want you to know that as a member of this committee, I have voted in a bipartisan way for Secretaries of Defense.
I voted for two Secretaries of Defense when Donald Trump was previously president.
We had those two.
We had, I think, five total Secretaries of Defense during that four-year period.
So we want to keep that in mind as to what we might see in this coming administration.
But I voted...
And we voted by a big margin for those folks as well.
But part of that was the process and having an opportunity to get to know the person and understand their qualifications and understand the standards.
I made repeated requests to meet with you prior to this meeting.
I know many of my other colleagues also wanted to meet with you.
I did that with the other nominees that I was happy to vote for.
I thought they were highly qualified individuals and true professionals.
And yet, I could never get a meeting with you.
Was there a reason you were afraid to have one-on-one meetings with some of my colleagues before the hearing?
pete hegseth
Senator, I know there was a great deal of outreach to multiple offices.
Schedules get full.
There's a lot going on.
unidentified
I was ready.
pete hegseth
And I welcomed the opportunity pending my schedule to have an opportunity to sit down.
unidentified
I was ready.
It would have been so much better to have that opportunity to talk.
I think that's a big mistake, and it doesn't set us on a good course when you refuse to meet with people and have a professional conversation about the huge challenges that we face at the Department of Defense.
My colleagues, the folks who introduced you and others, the chairman has mentioned about the management of the DOD as a concern, cost overruns, delays on weapons systems.
We need strong management at the Department of Defense, first and foremost.
We've got to have someone who's going to grab the reins and give the taxpayers value for having the most lethal fighting force in the world that defends freedoms, but we've got to do it in an efficient way.
I've heard about the jobs you've had in the past.
Let's just talk about qualifications.
I know you had two previous positions.
How many people reported to you in those positions?
pete hegseth
Senator, at Vets for Freedom, we were a small upstart.
Our focus was...
unidentified
Just the number, please.
pete hegseth
Working on Capitol Hill, going back to the battlefield, just for warfighters.
unidentified
Just the number, please.
pete hegseth
We probably had eight to ten full-time staff and lots of volunteers.
unidentified
So you had eight.
Has there been any other?
We've heard about the two, and certainly there's been a lot of talk about the mismanagement, etc., etc.
I'm just curious.
I won't go into that.
Just curious.
So you had eight there.
What's the largest number of people you've ever supervised or had in an organization in your career?
pete hegseth
Not three million.
unidentified
No, I don't expect that.
Very few people have ever had that experience, but how many?
It's a straight-up question.
pete hegseth
I think we had over 100 full-time staff at Concerned Vets for America, roughly, with thousands of volunteers.
I was also a headquarters company commander, which would have been a couple of hundred.
Nothing remotely near the size of the Defense Department, I would acknowledge that.
unidentified
Actually, not remotely near even a medium-sized company in America, let alone a big company in America, especially a major corporation.
And you're basically, we're hiring you to be the CEO of one of the most complex, largest organizations in the world.
We're the board of directors here.
I don't know of any corporate board of directors that would hire a CEO for a major company if they came and said, you know, I supervised 100 people before.
They'd ask you, well, what kind of experiences you had?
We need innovation.
Can you give me an experience or your actual experience of driving innovation in an organization?
Give me an example of where you have done that.
pete hegseth
Oh, my goodness, Senator.
Absolutely.
At Concerned Veterans for America, we created the Fixing Veterans Healthcare Task Force, a bipartisan task force that had never been done before to create policy, to drive policy change on Capitol Hill that organizations fought ferociously against.
We got the VA Accountability Act passed and the Mission Act passed in a way that...
Nonprofit, of our size, veterans organization, has never done.
And it's testified in all the letters that we put forward to the committee, which are on the record.
unidentified
Okay, I have limited time.
Thank you for that.
Give me an example of where you've driven down cost.
I've heard examples that Senator Blumenthal gave.
The cost was a real problem for you in your 50-person organization that you actually raised a lot less than what you actually spent.
Did you drive cost down?
In a 50-person organization?
Let me tell you, we've got to drive costs down dramatically in an organization of 3 million people and hundreds of billions of dollars.
You don't have that experience that you can talk about.
To me, this is our acquisition reform.
Acquisition reform, you bring that up.
Have you had experience in acquisition reform?
pete hegseth
I've written about and studied on acquisition reform for quite some time.
unidentified
Have you actually done it?
pete hegseth
Because what we need...
In the hands of our warfighters better change because we're not doing it well right now.
unidentified
It better.
And we need people who have experience actually doing that.
You know, you talk about standards.
Again, I'm going to go back to CEO of the most complex organization in the world.
I don't think there's a board of directors in America that would hire you as a CEO with the kind of experience you have on your resume.
You talk about standards, you talk about raising or low that we have a problem of standards in the DOD and we have to raise standards for the men and women who serve.
Do you think that the way to raise the minimum standards of the people who serve us is to lower the standards for the Secretary of Defense, that we have someone who has never managed an organization, more than 100 people, is going to come in and manage this incredibly important organization and do it with a professionalism and has no experience that they can tell us that they have actually done that?
I have real problems with that.
This is not about...
Other issues that are brought up, they're all very important.
I'm just about trying to get things done, managing efficiently and having the best people who have demonstrated that in a large organization.
And I'm sorry, but I don't see that in your background.
There are a lot of other things you can do very well.
You're a capable person.
But I'm not, I do not, you have not convinced me that you're able to take on this tremendous responsibility with a complex organization and having little.
Or no significant management experience.
pete hegseth
Senator, I'm grateful to be hired by one of the most successful CEOs in American history, should I be confirmed?
roger wicker
Mr. Hegg says that it seems to me that you've supervised far more people than the average United States senator supervises to be.
unidentified
Except for former governors, Mr. Chairman.
roger wicker
Senator Mullen, I understand you are yielding back your time and do not wish to ask questions.
I was misinformed.
Senator Mullen.
markwayne mullin
Got me totally off guard there.
I'd like to submit for the record signatures by 32 members of the House of Representatives who are veterans.
The signatures call on the Senate to honor the constitutional duty of advice and consent by conducting a fair, thorough confirmation process that evaluates his nomination solely on the substance and merits, his distinguished military service, academic credentials, and a bold vision for revitalizing the national offense.
I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record.
roger wicker
Without objection.
markwayne mullin
You know, there's a lot of talk going about talking about qualifications and then about us hiring him if we are the board, but there's a lot of senators here I wouldn't have on my board because there is no qualifications except your age and you got to be living in this state and you're a citizen of the United States to be a senator.
Other than the fact that we've got to convince a lot of people to vote for us.
And then when we start talking about qualifications, if you're qualified for it, could the chairman tell me what the qualifications are for the Secretary of Defense?
Mr. Chairman, could you tell me what the qualifications are for the Secretary of Defense?
roger wicker
I'd be happy for you to do that.
markwayne mullin
Let me read it for you.
roger wicker
I was getting some advice from my second-in-command.
markwayne mullin
Yeah, but I'm just making a point because there's a lot about qualifications.
I think it's so hypocritical of senators, especially on the other side of the aisle, be talking about his qualifications, not going to lead the secretary or be the secretary of defense, and yet your qualifications aren't any better.
You guys aren't any more qualified to be the senator than I'm qualified to be the senator, except we're lucky enough to be here.
But let me read you what the qualifications of the Secretary of Defense is, because I Googled it, and I Googled it and went through a lot of different sites, and really it's hard to see, but in general, the U.S. Secretary of Defense position is filled by a civilian.
That's it.
If you have served in the U.S. Army forces...
And I've been in the service for, you have to be retired for at least seven years, and Congress can weigh that.
And then there's questions that the senator from Massachusetts brought up about serving on a board inside the military industry, and yet your own secretary that you all voted for, Secretary Austin, we had to vote on a waiver because he stepped off the board of Raytheon.
But I guess that's okay because that's a Democrat secretary of defense.
But we so quickly forget about that.
And then Senator Cain, or I guess I better use the senator from Virginia, starts bringing up the fact that what if you showed up drunk to your job?
How many senators have showed up drunk to vote at night?
Have any of you guys asked them to step down and resign for their job?
And don't tell me you haven't seen it because I know you have.
And then how many senators do you know have got a divorce before cheating on their wives?
Did you ask them to step down?
No.
But it's for show.
You guys, make sure you make a big show and point out the hypocrisy because a man's made a mistake.
And you want to sit there and say that he's not qualified?
Give me a joke.
It is so ridiculous that you guys hold yourself at this higher standard and you forget you got a big plank in your eye.
We've all made mistakes.
I've made mistakes.
And Jennifer, thank you for loving him through that mistake.
Because the only reason why I'm here and not in prison is because my wife loved me too.
I have changed, but I'm not perfect.
But I found somebody that thought I was perfect.
And for whatever reason, you love Pete, and I don't know why.
But just like our Lord and Savior forgave me, my wife's had to forgive me more than once, too, and I'm sure you've had to forgive him, too.
And so thank you.
So before I go down this rabbit hole again, tell me something about your wife that you love.
pete hegseth
She's the smartest, most capable, loving, humble.
Honest person I've ever met.
In addition to being incredibly beautiful.
markwayne mullin
Don't forget about your kids.
pete hegseth
I'm supposed to talk about my kids?
markwayne mullin
No, no, well, she's also the mother.
pete hegseth
Oh, an amazing mother.
markwayne mullin
Yes.
pete hegseth
Of our blended family of seven kids.
markwayne mullin
Brother, I'm pulling you.
I'm trying to help you here.
You know...
Do you believe that you're going to be running the Department of Defense by yourself?
pete hegseth
Senator, absolutely not.
Just as President Trump is assembling his cabinet, I look forward and already am in the process of building one of the best possible teams you can imagine with decades and decades of experience outside the Pentagon, driving innovation and excellence, and also inside the building knowing how to make it happen.
markwayne mullin
Yes, sir.
So, in your organizations that you did have the privilege of running, did you have a board?
pete hegseth
In both organizations, we had a board, yes.
markwayne mullin
Okay, and what did you do with that board?
What kind of decisions did you make with them?
pete hegseth
Those boards provided oversight and insight into decision-making.
markwayne mullin
They all have special unique sets that maybe filled gaps that you're not the expertise in?
pete hegseth
Yes, sir.
markwayne mullin
So do you believe you're capable of surrounding yourself with capable individuals that you're going to be able to run those same ideas by and surround yourself with people that are smarter and better equipped and maybe areas that you don't necessarily carry those expertise with?
pete hegseth
Senator, the only reason I've had success in life to include my wonderful wife is because of people more capable around me and having the self-confidence to empower them and say, hey, run with the ball.
Run with the football.
Take it down the field.
We'll do this together.
I don't care who gets the credit.
And in this case, that's how the Pentagon will be run.
markwayne mullin
Let me end with this, Mr. Chairman, about the qualifications.
You got a man who has literally put his butt on the line.
He served 20 years in service, multiple deployments.
Has heard the bullets crack over the top of his head.
Has been willing to go into combat.
Been willing to see friends die for this country.
And he's willing to still put himself through this.
His wife is willing to still stand beside him, knowing he wasn't perfect, knowing that all this was going to be brought up.
And he's still willing to serve the country.
What other qualifications does he need?
roger wicker
Thank you, Senator Mullin, Senator Duckworth.
And again, we really are going to strictly enforce the rule about no demonstrations or noise.
jack reed
Just a point of personal privilege to make a correction.
The reason that General Austin required a waiver was not because of his participation in a corporate enterprise.
It was because he did not have seven years of interruption between his service and his appointment.
Second point is that if any of us were appointed as Secretary of Defense, we would be subject to the same types of questions.
The case in point is Senator John Tau was nominated for Secretary of Defense.
It was discovered by his colleagues that his behavior was not commensurate with the responsibilities despite his service and he was voted down.
Thank you.
roger wicker
Thank you Mr. Chairman.
Senator Duckworth you're recognized.
unidentified
Thank you Mr. Chairman and also Secretary Mattis had to have this waiver as well.
Mr. Hexett, this hearing is about whether you are qualified to be Secretary of Defense, and one of the qualifications to answer my colleague's question is to actually win the votes of every member of this committee and to be confirmed by the United States Senate.
And you need to convince us that you're worthy of that vote, because the people of the state of Illinois voted for me to be their senator so that I could cast that vote when it comes to picking who is going to be the next Secretary of Defense.
This hearing now seems to be a hearing about whether or not women are qualified to...
And let me just say that the American people need a SecDef who's ready to lead on day one.
You are not that person.
Our adversaries watch closely during times of transition.
And any sense that the Department of Defense that keeps us safe is being steered by someone who's wholly unprepared for the job puts America at risk.
And I am not willing to do that.
With that in mind, Mr. Hexeth, I want you to try to explain to the American people this committee Who have to vote for you?
And to our troops who are deployed around the world, why you are qualified to lead the Department of Defense.
We already know that you've only led the largest 200-person organization.
We already know that you so badly mangled a budget that after you left, they had to bring in a forensic accountant to figure out what went wrong.
And the largest budget you ever managed was about $18 billion.
You know, that is about 51,560 times Fewer, lower than the Department of Defense budget of $825 billion.
$16 million is 51,568 times smaller than the defense budget.
Please describe to me, Mr. Hexeth, you talk about DOD passing an audit.
Please describe to me a time or an organization that you led underwent an audit.
Because you say you're going to hire smarter people than you to run this audit.
I'm not asking you to be an accountant.
I want you to be able to tell me what kind of guidance will be given to those employees, what will happen whether or not you pass that audit.
Have you led an audit of any organization, yes or no?
I don't want a long answer, yes or no.
Have you led?
An audit of any organization of which you were in charge?
pete hegseth
Senator, in both of the organizations I ran, we were always completely fiscally responsible.
unidentified
Yes or no, did you lead an audit?
Yes or no, did you lead an audit?
Yes or no?
What are you afraid of?
You can't answer this question.
Yes or no, did you lead an audit?
Do you not know this answer?
pete hegseth
Senator, every part of my leadership of these organizations has been misrepresented from top to bottom.
unidentified
I will take that as a no.
What were the findings?
Though there were no findings, you've never led an audit.
What guidance did you give the auditors?
None, because you've never led an audit.
Nobody expects you to be an accountant, Mr. Hextheth.
What we expect is for you to understand the complexity of this Pentagon budget process that is absolutely necessary to outfit our warfighters.
Look, the Secretary of Defense is required to make quick decisions every single day.
That, well, with high-level information that's being provided for them, a Secretary of Defense has to have breadth and depth of knowledge.
Right now, I am concerned that you have neither.
Mr. Hexteth, what is the highest level of international negotiations that you have engaged in, that you have led in?
Because the Secretary of Defense does lead international security negotiations.
There are three main ones that the Secretary of Defense leads and signs.
Can you name at least one of them?
pete hegseth
Could you repeat the question, Senator?
unidentified
Sure.
What is the highest level of international security agreement that you have led, and can you name some that the Secretary of Defense would lead?
There are three main ones.
pete hegseth
I have not been involved in international security arrangements because I have not been in government other than serving in the military.
So my job has been to lead men and women in combat.
unidentified
Can you name one of the three main ones that the Secretary of Defense signs?
pete hegseth
You're talking about defense arrangements.
I mean, NATO might be one that you're referring to.
unidentified
Status of forces agreement would be one of them.
pete hegseth
Status of forces agreement?
I've been a part of teaching about status of forces agreements.
unidentified
But you don't remember to mention it?
You're not qualified, Mr. Hexeth.
You're not qualified.
You talk about repairing our defense industrial complex.
You're not qualified to that.
You could do the acquisition and cross-servicing agreements, which essentially are security agreements.
You can't even mention that.
You've done none of those.
You talked about the Indo-Pacific a little bit, and I'm glad that you mentioned it.
Can you name The importance of at least one of the nations in ASEAN and what type of agreement we have with at least one of those nations.
And how many nations are in ASEAN, by the way?
pete hegseth
I couldn't tell you the exact amount of nations in that, but I know we have allies in South Korea and Japan and in AUKUS with Australia, trying to work on submarines with them.
unidentified
Mr. Hexaf, none of those countries are in ASEAN.
None of those three countries that you've mentioned are in ASEAN.
I suggest you do a little homework before you prepare for these types of negotiations.
Listen.
Mr. Hexaf, this is...
We ask our troops to go into harm's way all the time.
We ask them to go into harm's way.
And this behind me is a copy of the Soldier's Creed, a copy that usually hangs over my desk here in the Senate.
And you should be familiar with it.
It's the same copy that hung over my desk at Walter Reed every single day that I woke up and fought my way back because I wanted to go back and serve next to my buddies who'd saved my life.
This same copy, these words, I repeat it over and over and over again.
And let me read out two things to you, two sentences.
I will always place the mission first, and I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior task.
Mr. Hexeth, our troops follow these words every single day, and they man up, and they pack their rucksacks, and they go to war, and they deserve a leader who can lead them, not a leader who wants to lower the standards for himself, but raising the standards.
And by the way, our troops already meet the standards.
Man that ship, fight that fire, fly that helicopter until their very last breath.
And they do that every single day.
They cannot be led by someone who's not competent to do the job.
How can we ask these warriors to train and perform the absolute highest standards when you are asking us to lower the standards to make you the Secretary of Defense simply because you are buddies with our president-elect?
And by the way, he has filed for bankruptcy six times.
I'm not quite sure he's the kind of CEO you want to refer to as a successful businessman.
Let me make it clear.
You can't seem to grasp that there is no U.S. military as we know it without the incredible women that we serve.
Women who earned their place in their units, you have not earned your place as Secretary of Defense.
You say you care about keeping our armed forces strong and that you like that our armed forces is a meritocracy, then let's not lower the standards for you.
You, sir, are a no-go at this station.
roger wicker
Thank you, Senator Duckworth.
I would like to submit for the record a letter submitted by Mr. Brian Marriott that says anyone who would claim that Pete mismanaged funds at Vets of Freedom is ignorant of the facts.
Without objection, it will be admitted to the record.
Senator Budd.
unidentified
Thank you, Chairman Wicker, and congrats on your chairmanship of this committee.
I want to thank you for your leadership and your handling of this today.
I think you're doing a great job.
So, I want to also submit, for the record, a letter submitted by Mr. Daniel Catlin, the former operations manager at Vets for Freedom.
Mr. Catlin's letter states that Mr. Hegseth and Mr. Catlin conducted weekly meetings to meticulously review every dollar that the organization spent.
Pete's hands-on approach and dedication to financial responsibility ensured that Vets for Freedom operated within its budget.
Mr. Catlin's letters also states that Pete treated his staff with the utmost respect, regardless of race or gender.
So I ask unanimous consent to clear this into the record, Mr. Chairman.
roger wicker
Without objection, so ordered.
unidentified
Thank you.
Mr. Hexeth, congratulations on your nomination.
Thanks for appearing before the committee today.
I enjoy meeting in my office before Christmas, and I've enjoyed our friendship before that.
You know, you stated in your advanced policy questions that the American people need to be informed, engaged, and inspired to join our military.
I wholeheartedly agree with that.
We also have a problem, though, with obesity and falling academic standards.
It's very concerning.
We've talked about that before.
So if confirmed, how would you approach increasing the number of Americans eligible to serve in the military, but without lowering standards?
pete hegseth
Well, Senator, I think there are already, to the credit of, I believe the Army and other services have now caught up to that, which have piloted programs that have had some success that have allowed young Americans who want to serve in the military but can't necessarily pass the ASFAB or pass the APFT to get into basic training, an opportunity to get caught up, a preparatory class.
Unfortunately, yes, we do have a problem of obesity in our country, not necessarily something that...
The, if I'm confirmed, Secretary of Defense is able to address.
But I do think leading from the front matters.
I do think having a Secretary of Defense that will go out and do PT with the troops matters.
That has been out there and done that before.
And hopefully that's a motivating factor for young people.
But the reality of obesity and criminal backgrounds and medical problems have long been an issue of recruitment in America, unfortunately.
What changed is the perception of military service because of the condition of the services, and frankly because of, in some ways, the way our schools don't teach young people to love the country anymore.
And if you don't love the country, why do you want to serve that country?
That's a deeper problem.
But all of those things need to be addressed to revive recruiting, and obesity is certainly a part of it.
unidentified
Thank you for that.
So I've had multiple conversations, young folks back in North Carolina, young men, young women, and we get to meet a lot of them.
You know, I hear from some of these folks who I encourage to join the military.
They say that they're concerned that it's become politicized.
And if confirmed, would you commit to working with my office to address the military recruiting crisis and ensuring the military is focused on warfighting?
pete hegseth
Senator, absolutely.
A number one from day one with a mandate from the commander-in-chief who...
Received that mandate when Americans spoke out loudly and said, we want peace through strength, we want America first foreign policy, and we don't want political ideology driving decisions inside our Defense Department.
That was clear.
It's an infection that the American people are acutely aware of, which the men and women in this room have lived firsthand.
I've lived it firsthand.
And that's why it will be a priority.
And I truly believe, and I'm humbled by this.
The response we've already seen from young men and women who've decided to join the military when they had said, I wasn't going to.
But seeing a Commander-in-Chief Donald Trump reassured them.
Seeing the possibility, if confirmed, of a Secretary of Defense that would have their back reassured them.
And so in the first couple of months after President Trump's election, we have already seen, the numbers are there, a recruiting surge in all the services that I would welcome the opportunity to continue.
And it's humbling to think that families across this country would have confidence in us to deliver for their young men and women.
There's no more important task.
unidentified
Thank you for that.
So shifting gears a bit, I want to hear some of your thoughts on the growing fighter aircraft capacity gap with China and what this means for a potential fight in the Indo-Pacific.
So if confirmed what policy recommendations will you make to the president on procurement and maintenance of fourth and fifth generation fighters while we continue to research and develop six generation and collaborative Senator, that's a very important conversation, one that I've been looking at a great deal.
pete hegseth
A lot of it, just to be clear, involves classifications and understanding precisely cost and capabilities, including capabilities of enemy systems.
Both not just 4th and 5th, but potential 6th generation, which we've already seen a prototype released from the Chinese.
That's a dangerous development considering at least the publicly understood condition of NGAD, which I look forward to the opportunity to looking underneath the hood on that.
But ensuring 4th and 5th are capable and upgraded as necessary will be a part of our contingency.
But when you look at what's happening in the Indo-Pacific, say, operability...
Range is going to matter because it's such a large battle space.
That will all factor in decisions that are made.
And that's where I feel, frankly, a little bit liberated.
That I didn't work at Lockheed or any number of...
Pick a defense contractor.
I didn't mean to point one out in particular.
Pick any.
I haven't.
I don't have a special interest in any particular system or any particular company or any particular narrative.
I want to know what works.
I want to know what defeats our enemies, what keeps us safe, what deters them, what keeps our enemies up at night.
Whatever that is, I want more of it.
And I want to invest in it.
And I know that's the view that President Trump has as well.
unidentified
Thank you.
You know, some have commented recently about the need to eliminate immediately a manned aircraft.
So I'd say maybe one day.
But that day's not now and certainly not before 2027, especially in the Indo-Pacific.
So if confirmed, will you commit to work with my office in this committee to ensure the proper mix of fighters manned and unmanned?
pete hegseth
I look forward to working with you on that, Senator, because unmanned will be a very important part of the way future wars are fought.
Just the idea of survivability for a human being drives cost and time in ways that unmanned systems do not.
But I look forward to that conversation.
unidentified
Thank you.
roger wicker
Thank you, Senator Budd.
I now recognize Senator Reed for a unanimous consent request.
jack reed
Mr. Freeman, I would ask unanimous consent that two letters be submitted for the record.
One letter is signed by numerous organizations, including the Government Accountability Project, the other signed by several organizations, including the Truman National Security Project.
roger wicker
Without objection, so ordered.
Now, Senator Kelly, Senator Rosen, Got here after the gavel went down.
Do you really want to go ahead of her?
unidentified
I am going to defer to my good friend and colleague, Senator Rosen, from the great state of Nevada.
roger wicker
That is a really good decision.
Senator Rosen, you are recognized.
unidentified
And thank you, Senator Kelly.
I owe you one.
Thank you, Chairman Wicker, Ranking Member Reed, for holding this hearing.
And Mr. Hegseth, I appreciate...
Your service and your willingness to serve again.
However, I am deeply disappointed that you would not agree to meet with me as other members have said on this committee prior to this hearing as is the precedent for this committee and others.
So let me tell you a little bit about what I would have talked about had you made yourself available prior to the hearing.
Nevada is home to the premier aviation training ranges for both the Air Force and the Navy.
The largest ammunition depot in the world and the only place in the country where we are able to verify the reliability of our nuclear stockpile without the need for explosive testing.
The Nevada National Guard is one of the only few units across the country with the mission of fighting wildfires.
That's for another hearing.
And currently activated to fight the devastating fires around Los Angeles in support of our neighbors.
We therefore play a critical role in our national security and the person who holds the position Of Secretary of Defense matters greatly to Nevada service members and our military equities.
But every single person who serves in the military, we've talked about, my colleagues, esteemed colleagues, have talked about recruitment and retention.
One day, they will become a veteran.
So my veterans and the folks who are serving active duty now are concerned about what you think.
DOD does not have jurisdiction over Nevada's 200,000-plus veterans.
But I am interested in your views about the service members once they've transitioned out of the military, given the influence you would have while they're in service if confirmed.
In 2019, on a segment of Fox& Friends, you said that veteran service organizations, VSOs, I'm going to quote, encourage veterans to apply for every government benefit they can ever get after they leave the service.
You stated you don't want to, quote, be dependent.
On government assistance from the VA based on injuries or illnesses that might have arisen from your military service.
So I'm just going to ask you a few yes or no questions about veterans.
Understanding you don't have jurisdiction, this is important to our morale, it's important to our recruitment, and it's important to our retention, and it is important to how we respect others in this country.
Yes or no, please.
Do you believe that VSOs are wrong to support veterans in obtaining the benefits that they have rightfully earned and deserved when they signed that line like you did for your service?
pete hegseth
Senator, veterans deserve the benefits they've earned.
I have been in many battles with traditional veteran service organizations over differences of opinion about how to deliver those services, including veterans' choice.
unidentified
Do you believe VSOs are wrong?
pete hegseth
VSOs is a very broad term.
We were a VSO also, ma 'am.
But some of those services took a traditionally bureaucratic approach.
unidentified
Should they be able to help the veterans obtain the benefits that they have earned, yes or no?
Should anyone be able to help?
pete hegseth
Every veteran should have rapid access to all the benefits that they've earned.
unidentified
Do you believe that veterans should be ashamed for having sought and obtained the benefits that they have earned?
Do you think veterans should be ashamed?
pete hegseth
Senator, I think you should be ashamed as a nation of the amount of veterans that commit suicide because they hit a brick wall.
This is not the question, sir.
unidentified
I'm going to move on.
pete hegseth
I'm going to take that as a yes.
unidentified
How about veterans who suffer lasting injuries or illnesses due to their military service?
Do you think they deserve our support and assistance?
I mean, your answers to these, they're too broad.
People want to know.
Are you willing to support our veterans' organizations that will help our veterans get every damn thing that they deserve because they signed on the dotted line to keep us safe, just like you did?
I respect that.
Will you?
pete hegseth
Senator, with all due humility, I don't know that there's anyone in this room over the last 20 years that have worked harder to ensure.
That our veterans are taken care of.
It has been a passion of my life alongside with so many on this dais to make sure that veterans receive...
And it is a recruiting crisis.
unidentified
When veterans are not treated well, they don't want their sons and daughters to join.
You said veterans are dependent on the government.
Do you believe that veterans getting these benefits are dependent on the government?
Or do you believe it's a benefit they've earned and deserve through their service?
pete hegseth
It's a benefit they've earned and a hand up to the next chapter of their life.
unidentified
So you have again changed your position.
Where you believe the veterans are dependent...
Now you believe they've earned and deserved it.
I just think it's disrespectful to change that position.
These are benefits that people may need throughout their life and may not know when they need them or how they're going to need them, and they need to be there when they do.
Thank you.
I'm going to move on to my next question.
America's role in the world.
Our alliance is the threats America is facing.
They're serious.
They're wide-ranging from China to Russia to Iranian-backed terrorism.
So do you agree with the National Defense Strategy that the U.S. cannot compete with China, Russia, and their partners alone and certainly cannot win a war that way?
And this is a quote from the National Defense Strategy.
Is your interpretation that American first foreign policy is America alone?
Does that include abandoning our allies and partners such as NATO, Taiwan, Israel, and others?
And if we can't win alone, and we don't strengthen our strategic partnerships, I would say that position, your position, places on a strategic path to lose to our adversaries.
So, maybe you're okay with choosing that path for America.
I want to know how you square that position with the positions you articulated in your book, where you wrote that NATO is at relic, at best a distraction, and should be scrapped and remade.
Are you okay with sending us down a path where we can't win?
pete hegseth
Senator, the world has had, our friends in the world have had no better ally.
Our allies and partners have had no better friend than President Donald Trump, who's reinvigorated a NATO alliance, who's stood behind Israel in every way, in ways this administration has not.
He has ensured that the NATO alliance has become far more robust.
unidentified
He worked with allies in the Pacific as well.
Is Donald Trump going to stand behind Ukraine?
Are you going to stand behind Ukraine?
You say he's the strongest president.
President-elect Trump said he will end the war in Ukraine before he takes office.
Okay, so less than a week before he's inaugurated, to the best of your knowledge.
Do you have knowledge of a plan that he's going to use to rapidly end the war with Ukraine?
Do you believe it's feasible?
That it does not make unacceptable concessions to Vladimir Putin, who is a brutal dictator?
And are you going to give...
President-elect Trump, the military advice that you have given others to achieve the objective of us winning the war in Ukraine.
How do you think a rapid end to the war that Vladimir Putin started will affect the United States standing across the world?
pete hegseth
Senator, I will always give clear guidance, my clear guidance, best guidance to the President of the United States on matters like that.
unidentified
Do you think that if we concede to Vladimir Putin that that will hurt our credibility with...
Our allies and partners?
And do you not believe that our adversaries are watching?
roger wicker
Perhaps some.
You can take that for the record, Mr. Hexeth.
Senator Schmidt.
eric schmitt
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I'd like to submit for the record a letter submitted by Mr. Christopher Ahn, the former Director of Operations for Vets for Freedom.
Mr. Ahn, his letter states that the suggestion, quote, the suggestion that funds were misused for personal gain, lavish parties, or other improper purposes is categorically false.
Throughout my time working with Pete Hexeth, He consistently demonstrated exceptional integrity in leadership.
I asked unanimous consent to enter this letter into the record.
roger wicker
Without objection, so ordered.
Senator Schmidt.
eric schmitt
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Hexth, good to see you here today.
Thank you for your service.
pete hegseth
Thank you, Senator.
eric schmitt
And your willingness to serve.
I also want to thank you for your clarity in articulating the vision you have for the Department of Defense in restoring an ethos, a warrior ethos.
Which is in stark contrast to the ethos we've seen the last four years, which is of weakness and wokeness.
And I want to drill down on a few things specifically and exactly how we've gotten to where we've gotten with recruiting and morale.
DEI.
There's been a little bit of discussion about this, but for those watching at home, DEI is not about giving everybody opportunity.
It is rooted in cultural Marxism.
The idea that you pit the room, Any room with oppressor versus oppressed.
It's race essentialism, and it is poison.
It has no business whatsoever in our military.
I think the American people have spoken loudly and clearly about this.
They're tired of this.
They're tired of woke ideology.
And to my Democrat colleagues on the other side, if you haven't picked up on that, you missed the plot.
Because that's what November 5th partially was about.
And so let's talk specifically about some of these DEI programs that have been funded.
In our academy, specifically the Air Force Academy, it was advised as disfavored language to refer to your mom and dad as mom and dad.
Okay?
Dear mom and dad, I'm writing home.
Don't say that.
That's insane.
We're all just people.
You can't say that either.
And in an effort to police this, in a 1984 Orwellian novel, there was actually an eyes and ears program to rat on your fellow students who might say mom and dad.
Or just say, in a tough situation, you know what?
We're all just people.
Can't say that.
This wasn't limited, by the way, to our academies.
The Secretary of the Air Force, our current Secretary of the Air Force, in a memo from August of 2022, thought we had too many white officers advocated for quotas.
And if you crunch the numbers, that meant that 5,800 white officers who've worked really hard should be fired.
In the United States of America, I don't know how we got here.
And by the way, the Air Force isn't alone here.
The Navy sort of touted a drag queen influencer.
This stuff is insane.
And people wonder why recruiting has dropped off.
And let me just go through a few numbers, and I want to get your comments on how we fix this, because it's gone completely off the rails.
In 2022, the Army missed their recruiting goal of 60,000 soldiers by over 15,000.
In 2023, the Navy missed their recruiting goals by over 7,000.
In 2022, the Air Force couldn't meet their standards, their numbers, even though they lowered their standards.
They've lowered their standards to meet numbers they still can't get to.
Mr. Hexeth, we've got to fix this.
I think what you've demonstrated today is that you have the talent and the ability and the desire to fix it.
How are you going to fix it?
pete hegseth
Well, Senator, thank you for the question.
First and foremost, up front, you have to tear out DEI and CRT initiatives, root and branch, out of institutions.
eric schmitt
100%.
pete hegseth
And then you have to put in Army, Navy, and Air Force secretaries and others, civilian positions at the helm, who are committed to the same priorities that the President of the United States is, and if confirmed, the Secretary of Defense will be.
Send a clear message that this is not a time for equity.
Equity is a very different word than equality.
Equality is the bedrock of our military.
Men and women, duty positions in uniform, black, white, doesn't matter.
We treat you equally based on who you are in the image of God as an individual.
And we all get the same bad haircuts.
You're not an individual.
You're part of a group.
Equity prescribes some sort of an outcome based on differing attributes that we have that divide us.
What skin color are you?
What gender are you?
And then infuse that into institutions which manifest in things like quotas, formal or informal, which does what to morale?
Sends it in the tubes.
And it makes people feel like they're being judged by something other than how good they are at their job, which is poisonous inside institutions.
eric schmitt
So on top of this recruiting crisis, that wasn't enough for this administration.
during the COVID hysteria and in their attempt to fire 100,000 people who work for bigger companies because they didn't get the COVID shot or to mask five-year-olds, they decided also to make this a central plank in their policy at the Pentagon.
8,000 well-trained.
So we've got to recruit 8,000 well-trained men and women were fired.
Were fired.
Will you commit today, Mr. Hexeth, to recruit these folks back?
To give them back pay and give them an apology from the United States government for how they were disrespected.
pete hegseth
Senator, I will commit to this because the commander-in-chief has committed to this, that not only will they be reinstated, they will receive an apology, back pay, and rank that they lost because they were forced out due to an experimental vaccine.
eric schmitt
Thank you, and I'm a limited time, but I just want to say, for all the talk...
of experience and not coming from the same cocktail parties that permanent Washington is used to, you are a breath of fresh air.
And again, if you weren't paying attention to what this election was all about, it was about the disruptors versus the establishment.
And the American people have had enough of business as usual for the same people that we line up for these same jobs who give us the same results.
We need somebody who's going to go in there and fight for innovation, fight for change.
I think you're that person, and I appreciate your willingness to sit here and listen to some of these undignified attacks.
It's ridiculous.
unidentified
Thank you.
roger wicker
Captain Mark Kelly, you're right.
unidentified
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Congratulations on your chairmanship.
I want to make a request to the committee that we have a second round of questions.
roger wicker
Pursuant to the bipartisan staff agreement that we reached late last year, this will be one round of seven-minute questions.
unidentified
Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
roger wicker
I'll be happy to recognize my colleague, Mr. Reid.
jack reed
I think it's important to note, for the record, that when Secretary Hagel was here, we had three rounds of questioning.
When Secretary Carter was here, we had two rounds of questioning, and I cannot recall any time where I have denied, as a chairman, a member to ask for a second round and receive the second round.
So we are, I think, violating the principles of the committee, and I just want to go on the record.
roger wicker
And your comment is noted.
jack reed
Thank you.
unidentified
Mr. Hexett, thank you for being here today.
Thank you for your service to this country.
pete hegseth
Thank you, Senator.
unidentified
A few nominees come into this room with all the necessary experience to do this job, to be Secretary of Defense.
We get that.
It's a reflection on just how big of a job this is.
What I want to understand is whether or not you bring any of the necessary experience that this job requires.
And here's where I'm concerned.
Senator Coleman, in introducing you, And this is a quote.
He said, he has struggled and overcome great personal challenges.
Unquote.
You walk in here saying that you've had personal and character issues in your past, including heavy drinking, which you wrote about.
And you said, and this is a quote from you, that you said, I sit before you as an open book.
Yet you haven't actually said what personal challenges.
It is that you've overcome when you've been asked about them.
So I'm going to give you an opportunity here to be as forthright as you say you want to be.
So while leading Concerned Veterans of America, there were very specific cases cited by individuals about your conduct.
I'm going to go through a few of them, and I just want you to tell me if these are true or false.
Very simple.
On Memorial Day 2014, at a CVA event in Virginia, You needed to be carried out of the event for being intoxicated.
pete hegseth
Senator Anonymous smears.
unidentified
Just true or false?
Very simple.
Summer of 2014 in Cleveland, drunk in public with the CVA team.
pete hegseth
Anonymous smears.
unidentified
I'm just asking for true or false answers.
An event in North Carolina, drunk in front of three young female staff members.
You had instituted a no-alcohol policy and then reversed it.
True or false?
pete hegseth
Anonymous smears.
unidentified
December of 2014, at the CVA Christmas party at the Grand Hyatt at Washington, D.C., you were noticeably intoxicated and had to be carried up to your room.
Is that true or false?
pete hegseth
Anonymous smears.
unidentified
Another time, a CVA staffer stated that you passed out in the back of a party bus.
Is that true or false?
pete hegseth
Anonymous smears.
unidentified
In 2014, while in Louisiana on official business for CVA, did you take your staff, including young female staff members, to a strip club?
pete hegseth
Absolutely not.
Anonymous smears.
unidentified
So, is it accurate?
That the organization reached a financial settlement with a female staffer who claimed to be at a strip club with you and there was a colleague who attempted to sexually assault her.
Was there a financial settlement?
pete hegseth
Senator, I was not involved in that.
I don't know the nature of how that played out.
unidentified
But you understand there was a financial settlement for a young female staffer who accused another member of the organization, not you, We have multiple statements on the record referring to that.
pete hegseth
Absolutely not.
unidentified
Now, the behavior I cited, if true, do you think that this behavior of intoxication going into these type of establishments Senator,
pete hegseth
the overwhelming majority of anyone who's worked for me, including the on-the-record statements that have been submitted to this...
With their name on it, on the record, men and women who worked with me every day are the overwhelming preponderance of evidence that testify to my leadership and professionalism in leading Vets for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America.
My leadership has been completely impugned on these veterans organizations that did fantastic work on behalf of men and women fighting overseas and advocating, and we managed our financial books with integrity across the board.
How many people, everybody who runs...
unidentified
I have limited time.
I'm not going to get into the accusations that come from Fox News.
I know you have some of your Fox News colleagues here.
There are multiple instances of accusations against you about drinking on the job.
pete hegseth
All anonymous, all false, all refuted by my colleagues, who I worked with for 10 years at 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and everything in between.
unidentified
THE CHALLENGE HERE FOR ME, MR. HEGZEFF, IS WHEN THERE IS DISCUSSION ABOUT PERSONAL CHALLENGES AND YOU, ADMITTEDLY, HAD ISSUES WITH HEAVY DRINKING.
IT'S HARD TO KIND OF SQUARE THIS, TO SQUARE THE CIRCULT.
I have about 90 seconds left here.
If you had to answer these questions about sexual assault against you and your drinking and your personal conduct, would it have been different if you were under oath?
pete hegseth
All I'm pointing out is the false claims against me.
unidentified
Okay, I take it you do not want to answer that question.
I walked into this hearing this morning concerned that you haven't demonstrated adequate leadership in your civilian roles.
And this is a dangerous world we're living in here.
And America cannot afford a Secretary of Defense who is unprepared for that mission.
I'm going to leave with concerns about your transparency.
You say you've had personal issues in your past, yet when asked about those very issues, you blame an anonymous smear campaign, even when many of these claims are not anonymous.
Which is it?
Have you overcome personal issues?
Or are you the target of a smear campaign?
It can't be both.
It's clear to me that you're not being honest with us or the American people because you know the truth would disqualify you from getting the job.
And just as concerning as each of these specific disqualifying accusations are, what concerns me just as much is the idea of having a Secretary of Defense who is not transparent.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I yield back my two seconds.
roger wicker
Thank you, Senator Kelly.
I would, at this point, ask unanimous consent to introduce into the record letters.
By Tina Kingston, Louisiana State Director of Concerned Veterans for America, and Holly Talley, Louisiana Local Director of Concerned Veterans for America, attesting to the appropriateness of Mr. Hex's conduct with regard to female staffers.
Without objection, that is added to the record.
And Senator Banks, you are now recognized.
jim banks
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Welcome, Mr. Hegseth.
You have conducted yourself very well today.
In fact, so well that I believe it's incumbent upon this committee to confirm you ASAP to get you on the job, to clean up the mess that we have at the Pentagon ongoing at this moment because of the leadership there over the last four years that's failed us.
In President Biden's first year in office, The Department of Defense spent over 5 million man-hours on quote-unquote counter-extremism and diversity training, what you and I might call woke training or DEI.
The administration has refused to provide us any more recent data than that first year, but we know that it's exponentially more man-hours wasted on DEI over the last four years.
And I wonder...
What do you make of that?
What could those five million man hours in that first year of Secretary Austin and President Biden's administration, what could those five million man hours have been used for?
pete hegseth
Senator, that's a lot of service members sitting in a lot of briefs, hearing about a lot of threats or political perspectives that might be dangerous that comport.
Do not comport to threats that actually exist inside the force or ideas that introduce critical race theory or DEI or climate change initiatives that they and their commands have to conform to.
And every time one of those happens, it gets pushed down the chain of command.
That also includes new layers of leadership that have been created under this administration committed to enforcing those types of DEI and CRT.
So we hear 5 million man hours, and that sounds like a lot.
The more troubling aspect is how many training hours that takes away from a company commander or battalion commander or a wing commander who's out there trying to maintain their force, which is already constrained because of what the Biden administration has done to the defense budget and defense capabilities.
So they're having to choose between the political prerogatives of the civilians.
We're demanding more DEI and CRT and gender quotas and the readiness of their forces.
And I believe this Pentagon is prepared, because of our Commander-in-Chief, for a Secretary of Defense, should I be confirmed, that laser focuses on these issues and they're ready to respond.
They want to pack their rucksacks and go train because they understand we live in a dangerous world.
jim banks
I think that's an important point, a key point, because months later, while the priority of the Biden-Austin-led Pentagon was on DEI and woke training, one of the biggest embarrassments in American history happened when we lost 13 of our heroes in the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Secretary Austin testified before the House Armed Services Committee a couple of years ago, and responding to a question from me said he had, quote, no regrets about what happened in Afghanistan.
I wonder, what do you make of that?
pete hegseth
Senator Chainful.
They still tout it as the most successful airlift in American history, when what the rest of us all saw was true laid before our eyes.
Utter failure, a destruction of a military legacy there, abandonment of our allies, death of American troops, detriment to our reputation, and then no answers and no accountability on the other side.
And then what was unleashed because of what happened in Afghanistan?
The October 7th attacks?
An invasion into Ukraine?
The world recognized weakness for what it was.
And who bore the brunt for it?
The troops on the front lines at Abbey Gate doing an impossible job whose external security was the Taliban?
Because there was no actual plan for this under the Biden administration.
And yet, not a single person, the only person held accountable in those moments was a Marine Corps lieutenant colonel who had the courage to stand up and say someone should be held accountable for that.
His name is Stu Scheller.
No one else involved has ever taken accountability for it.
When that microcosm becomes the reality of the perception of the American military or America's commitment to victory and success and positive outcomes, the world responds to that.
President Trump is going to restore real deterrence by bringing a real warrior culture back, rebuilding our military, and ending wars properly.
And if we have to fight them, winning them decisively.
jim banks
I served in Afghanistan.
You served in Afghanistan.
75% of our nation's veterans disagree with how the withdrawal from Afghanistan was handled.
The embarrassment of it, what that's done, I believe, has directly impacted our historic recruitment crisis in this country, without a doubt.
And you've already talked about that, but how do we fix it?
How do we bring...
Pride back to wearing the uniform for the next generation to inspire them to do what you and I did to raise our right hand and take that oath and serve this great country.
pete hegseth
I really do think it comes back to strong, clear leadership.
Patriotic, pro-American leadership that says we're not going to focus on all the other political prerogatives.
That's why we all have political perspectives.
I said this before and I'll say it again.
In uniform, none of that matters.
You wear green, you wear blue, you bleed red.
That's it.
Who you vote for doesn't matter.
But when the perception of that changes, then you don't want people deciding whether to serve based on a political party in power.
That's a dangerous thing for continuity inside your military.
And it's fragile right now.
President Trump, and if I'm confirmed with my leadership, we're going to restore the continuity of an apolitical military that acts decisively.
And only based on merit.
They sound basic, but they're fundamental.
jim banks
You and I agree that wokeness is weakness.
Mr. Hegseth, do you support racial quotas in recruitment or promotions in the United States military?
pete hegseth
Senator, I do not support any form of racial quota.
jim banks
Do you support affirmative action in our nation's military academies?
pete hegseth
Senator, I only support...
Hiring and promoting and admitting the best and brightest, whatever their background is.
jim banks
I think that's very important.
Mr. Hegseth, Lloyd Austin, the secretary, later went AWOL.
He disappeared for days and never told the president, didn't even inform the president's chief of staff that he was going into the hospital.
Would that ever occur on your watch?
pete hegseth
No, Senator.
I know in any one of my jobs, if I had decided to go AWOL for even a day or two, in uniform or around that.
That would have been a concern.
jim banks
I believe accountability matters.
No one to this day has ever, as you've said, been held accountable for what happened in Afghanistan.
It was embarrassing to this country.
It's impacted this country greatly.
And I applaud you and President Trump for bringing accountability back to our Pentagon.
With that, I yield back.
roger wicker
Chair recognizes the distinguished ranking member for unanimous consent request.
jack reed
Mr. Chairman, I would like to submit an article discussing some of the issues of Readiness and DEI.
There has been a comment that 5.9 million man hours have been used for DEI.
General Maia clarified that that is an estimate out of more than 2 million man hours that the Department of Defense invested during the time period.
roger wicker
Where is this published, sir?
jack reed
This is published by Megan Myers, and I will get the...
unidentified
Okay.
jack reed
Military.com.
I'm sorry.
roger wicker
Without objection, it will be admitted to the record.
And Senator Slotkin.
Welcome to the committee.
unidentified
Thank you, Senator, and thank you for referencing the great Carl Levin.
As you introduced me, we miss him in Michigan.
For those who I haven't met in my one week that I've been sworn into the Senate, I'm a CIA officer recruited after 9-11.
I did three tours armed in Iraq alongside the military and have worked for four different secretaries of defense, both Democrat and Republican, proudly, and watched them make decisions that literally...
I'm also a Democrat representing a state that Trump won, right?
We both won on the same ballot.
So I understand that President Trump has the right to nominate his people.
We are going to have policies that we disagree with.
All of that, to me, comes very standard.
What I think I'm most concerned with is that no president has the right.
To use the uniformed military in a way that violates the U.S. Constitution and further taints the military as that apolitical institution that we all want, right?
And our founders designed the system so that, you know, we had posse comitatus, that we weren't going to use active duty military inside the United States and make American citizens potentially scared of their own military.
We went through our own experience with that with the British.
As the Secretary of Defense, you will be the one man standing in the breach should President Trump give an illegal order, right?
I'm not saying he will, but if he does, you are going to be the guy that he calls to implement this order.
Do you agree that there are some orders that can be given by the Commander-in-Chief that would violate the U.S. Constitution?
pete hegseth
Senator, thank you for your service.
But I reject the premise that President Trump is going to be giving illegal orders.
unidentified
No, I'm not saying he will.
But do you believe there is such a thing as an illegal order that Joe Biden or any other president Donald Trump could give?
Is there anything that a commander-in-chief could ask you to do with the uniformed military that would be in violation of the U.S. Constitution?
pete hegseth
Anybody of any party could give an order that is against the Constitution or against the law.
unidentified
Right.
Okay, so are you saying that you would stand in the breach and push back if you were given an illegal order?
pete hegseth
I start by saying I reject the premise that President Trump will be giving any illegal orders at all.
unidentified
This isn't a hypothetical.
Okay?
Your predecessor in a Trump administration, Secretary Esper, was asked and did use uniformed military to clear unarmed protesters.
He was given the order to potentially shoot at them.
Helos flew low in Washington, D.C. as crowd control.
He later apologized publicly for those actions.
Was he right or wrong to apologize?
pete hegseth
Senator, I was there on the ground.
unidentified
I saw the helo myself.
I understand and I respect that.
pete hegseth
I've been there.
unidentified
I understand the level of threat.
pete hegseth
That was involved in that moment.
unidentified
I also understand legality and the Constitution and the laws of what you have.
Sir, was he right or wrong to apologize?
pete hegseth
I'm not going to put words in the mouth of Secretary Esper or anybody else from this podium.
unidentified
No, he said them himself.
You don't have to.
What are you scared of?
Did he do the right thing by apologizing?
pete hegseth
I'm not scared of anything, Senator.
unidentified
Then say yes or no.
You can say no.
pete hegseth
I'm interested in upholding the laws and the Constitution in any particular scenario.
unidentified
So Donald Trump asked for the active-duty 82nd Airborne to be deployed during that same time.
Secretary Esper has written that he convinced him against that decision.
If Donald Trump asked you to use the 82nd Airborne in law enforcement roles in Washington, D.C., would you also convince him otherwise?
pete hegseth
I'm not going to get ahead of conversations I would have with the President.
However, there are laws and processes inside our Constitution that would be followed.
unidentified
President Trump said in November that he is willing to consider using the active duty military against the "enemy within." Have you been personally involved in discussions of using the US military active duty inside the United States?
pete hegseth
Senator, I'm glad we finally got to the topic of border security equaling national security, because it's been abdicated and ignored for the last four years.
unidentified
That wasn't my question.
I'm just asking, have you been involved?
You're about to be the Secretary of Defense, potentially.
Have you been involved in discussions about using the active-duty military inside the United States?
pete hegseth
Senator, I am not yet the Secretary of Defense.
If confirmed, I would be party to any number of conversations.
unidentified
But you haven't been in any of these conversations?
pete hegseth
Which I would not reveal what I have discussed with the President of the United States or not.
unidentified
No, no, just have you been in conversations?
Again, you're going to be in charge of three million people, the active duty that I know you care about, I believe you care about.
So have you been in conversations about using the active duty in any way, whether it's setting up in detention camps, policing dangerous cities, have you been involved in any Certainly, I have been involved in conversations relating to...
pete hegseth
Doing things this administration has not, which is secure the southern border and not allow floods of illegals to enter our country through an invasion that threatens the American people.
And there are ways in which the military is already playing a role in that, to include 5,000 National Guardsmen from Indiana and Texas who are at the border right now allowing for border security.
unidentified
Will you ask the active duty military to staff?
Detention centers.
Our U.S. military is not trained in law enforcement roles.
I think you know that, right?
We've seen how that mission is difficult for them in places like Iraq and Afghanistan because that's not the training a uniformed military comes with.
Do you support the use of active-duty military in supporting detention camps?
pete hegseth
Senator, everything we will do would be lawful and under the Constitution, but I recognize that this administration has advocated its responsibility.
President Trump is going to restore order at the border, prevent our enemies from invading.
unidentified
Sir, I get your filibustering.
I get it.
I get it.
In the spirit of preserving the institution that I think we both care about, legitimately, the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
I've heard a couple of different things.
One, you said you will not change the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which is what governs Yes or no?
You said that earlier.
pete hegseth
Those are laws, Senator, set by Congress.
unidentified
Okay, so you will not go to change it.
You will not attempt to change it.
You also said that JAG officers are potentially people who put their own interests in their own medals and promotions ahead of the troops.
Senator Lindsey Graham was a JAG officer for most of his life.
Is that what you believe about those who implement our justice system in the U.S. military?
pete hegseth
Senator, I was speaking about particular JAG officers I've had to deal with in my military experience.
unidentified
Are you going to get involved?
pete hegseth
Not about a member of the United States Senate.
unidentified
Are you, as Secretary of Defense, going to get involved in the implementation of the U.S. Military Code of Justice?
pete hegseth
Senator, ultimately, it will be a big part of my job to evaluate decisions vis-a-vis the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
unidentified
Have you seen the...
pete hegseth
Fairly.
unidentified
Is C.Q. Brown on your list in the Warrior Boards to be removed from his position?
pete hegseth
Senator, uh...
Every single senior officer will be reviewed based on meritocracy, standards, lethality, and commitment to lawful orders they will be given.
roger wicker
Thank you, Senator Slotkin.
I now recognize Senator...
Shaheen for a unanimous consent request.
unidentified
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I have a request from a former general who served 35 years, Dennis Leitch, who most recently was commander of the 94th Regional Readiness Command at Fort Devens, Mass., who has asked that his letter opposing Mr. Hegseth's nomination be entered into the record.
roger wicker
Is there objection?
Without objection, it will be entered.
Also, I present a host of letters and op-eds from former co-workers at Vets for Freedom and Concerned Vets for America, as well as Fox News Channel.
I also have letters and op-eds from many veterans and Iraqis and Afghanis who were helped by Mr. Hegseth.
I ask unanimous consent to introduce these letters and op-eds without objection is so ordered.
Senator Sheehy, you've been very patient.
unidentified
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, entering a support letter in for Mr. Hegseth submitted by nearly 90 former soldiers who served with Pete in combat.
I would like to submit a statement from 86 of them who support his nomination, although they come from different units and ranks.
The signatories commend Mr. Hegseth for his selfless leadership.
Love of his soldiers and commitment to our country.
roger wicker
Two items.
unidentified
Sorry, one item.
I ask unanimous consent to enter the Senate.
roger wicker
Without objection, it will be entered.
unidentified
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Pete, I'm actually going to ask you questions because I want to hear your answer.
How many genders are there?
Tough one.
pete hegseth
Senator, there are two genders.
unidentified
I know that well.
I'm a she-he, so I'm on board.
What is the diameter of the rifle round fired out of an M4 A1 rifle?
pete hegseth
That's a 5.56.
unidentified
How many push-ups can you do?
pete hegseth
I did five sets of 47 this morning.
unidentified
What do you think our most important strategic base is in the Pacific?
pete hegseth
In the Pacific?
Guam is pretty strategically significant.
unidentified
How many rounds of 5.56 can you fit into the magazine of an M4 rifle?
pete hegseth
Depends on the magazine, but standard issue is 30, Senator.
unidentified
And what size round does the M9 Beretta standard issue sidearm for the military fire?
pete hegseth
A 9mm, Senator.
unidentified
What kind of batteries do you put in your night vision goggle?
pete hegseth
Duracell.
unidentified
So right there, you're representing qualifications that show you understand what the warfighter deals with every single day on the battlefield.
You understand what happens on the front line where our troops will be.
And what happens, unfortunately, in this country is decisions made in rooms like this, bad decisions, end up in dead 17-, 18-, 19-year-old Americans.
And those Americans rarely come from families that sit in rooms like this.
They come from lower, middle-income families who sometimes the militaries are on the way out.
And they join because maybe they want...
To go to college.
Maybe they had no other choice.
Maybe they love this country.
But for whatever reason, they joined and they sat on the dotted line.
And when people like us screw up, they don't come home.
And that's the one thing that I care about, is you remember when I shut the door when you came with your entourage, Senator Coleman, I've known for a long time, and you and I sat together and asked you one question.
You remember what that question was?
pete hegseth
Are you going to have the backs of the warfighters?
unidentified
Exactly.
What is going to be your number one priority?
And I don't care, frankly, What all these letters and articles say.
I've been part of a smear campaign, too.
I get it.
I care that you're going to have one thing in mind when you sit in that chair on that five-sided building, and you told me what that was.
So with that, you have my support.
I'm sorry you have to go through a process like this, but it is one of the most important jobs in the world.
We've got to make sure you're ready for it.
I thank you for your answers.
I've got one final question that's very important to me.
This is more of a technical question, but I think it's...
To fix the army in this country is a one or two year problem.
We can make bullets, we can make rifles.
Fix the airports might be a five year problem.
Fix our navy is a decades long pursuit.
How are you going to fix our national...
You don't have all the power.
We're not China.
Unfortunately, you can't snap your fingers.
But how are you going to lead an initiative with the DOD to reinvigorate our national shipbuilding industry so we are able to compete with China because freedom of navigation is critical to our economy and the global economy.
It's going to be a very important task for you to complete.
pete hegseth
It's a critical question, Senator, and that's why I'm grateful that President Trump has said definitively to me and publicly that shipbuilding will be one of his...
Absolute top priorities of this administration.
So a lot of it does go into pulling things up into the OSD's office, Secretary of Defense's office, to shine a spotlight on it, to make sure the bureaucracy doesn't strangle important initiatives that need to happen.
We need to reinvigorate our defense industrial base in this country to include our shipbuilding capacity.
Some of it is on the east, some of it's on the west, some of it's on the Great Lakes.
The workforce problems that our shipyards are facing are significant, and there's been a big investment from this committee, I know, in a lot of those places because of the shortfalls, manpower issues, everything else.
We also see adversaries that have been able to innovate themselves in ways that their shipbuilding capacity is, I won't reveal it at this hearing, multitudes and multitudes beyond our capabilities.
So it needs to be a rapid investment, a rapid fielding, and then we need to incentivize outside entities to fill the gap.
We talk a lot about UAVs.
UAVs are very important, but there's also a future of UUVs, unmanned underwater vehicles, that will be a part of amplifying the impact of our Navy, because this administration has allowed our number of ships to drop below 300.
It sets a projection of 340 or 350, but doesn't create the capacity to actually address it.
And so if we're going to defend our interests, our allies, and put America first, we're going to have to be able to project power.
That means shipbuilding.
It means historic investments in our defense industrial base there.
And then also driving innovation and cost savings in ways that only business leaders inside the Pentagon can do.
unidentified
When I'd add, I don't think any board in the world would have hired Steve Jobs or Elon Musk.
Or Mark Zuckerberg when they founded their companies either.
So this country is founded by young people who had a great vision.
Thank you for being willing to serve your country again.
And thanks for coming here today.
I yield back, Chairman.
roger wicker
Thank you, Senator Sheehy.
You yield back the balance of your time.
Mr. Ranking Member, can we agree that you and I will notify members of a specific time Until which the record will remain open for submission of questions for the record.
jack reed
Yes, Mr. Chairman.
roger wicker
That will be a day or two.
This concludes today's hearing.
I want to thank the witnesses and their families and this hearing is adjourned.
unidentified
Thank you.
benny johnson
All right, ladies and gentlemen, five hours of live, and we were there posting and ripping right along with you.
The comment section was frickin' fire, and the Democrat geriatric, sociopathic, nasty witches and orcs and goblins proved themselves to be utterly incompetent, were destroyed multiple times, got the entire room...
That was filled with combat veterans and warriors and true warfighters to cheer for Pete Hegseth on multiple occasions.
Pete Hegseth now walking over to shake the hands of the senators.
There's Chairman Wicker.
Everybody was like, what is wrong with this guy?
He's from Mississippi.
A little slow there, definitely.
Slow as molasses, they would say in the South.
I think Hegseth...
Will be your next Secretary of Defense.
I think he did an incredible job.
What do you think, chat?
What do you think, chat?
I think he absolutely crushed it.
Shows Donald Trump's insight and purveyance, certitude, and capacity to stand with people through absolute slander.
Some of the most wicked and vile questions coming from Tim Kaine.
Oh, man.
Tim Kaine, a person who linked arms with Hillary Clinton, the bloody hands of Hillary Clinton, who is someone who had a serial philanderer that preyed on his interns in the White House and throughout his entire tenure in government.
Hillary Clinton covers it up and then attacks the victims.
This happened multiple times.
Here's Tim Kaine with Bill Clinton.
There you go.
Okay.
So this guy, Tim Kaine, suddenly, like, really concerned about the fidelity of marriages.
Suddenly really concerned about some of the sick habits people might have, allegedly.
What a nasty lunatic.
What a sicko, man.
They repulsed me.
That was the worst question.
Can we go back to Pete?
Pete just meant, um...
Some of our friends are in the audience here.
Got some really cool friends.
We're going to have some senators who will be joining us.
That's Sean Parnell right there.
You can see the beard.
You all know Sean Parnell.
unidentified
He's totally a dude.
benny johnson
That's his wife right there in the blue, if I'm not mistaken.
There you go.
unidentified
Okay, I hope it's his wife because he just kissed her.
benny johnson
Just checking!
Ladies and gentlemen, it's true.
We're going to have Anna Paulina Luna joining the stream.
We're going to have Senator Mark Wayne Mullen joining the stream.
We're going to have various warfighters who are there defending Pete Hegseth, who's taken quite a run here.
Let's just stay on him, right?
Let's go in here and meeting the room, which is, according to all available reports, 90-plus percent warfighters, combat veterans, packing and stacking the room to support Pete.
Now, there were a couple of protesters.
Here's the deal.
These protesters were invited by Democrats to sit in these seats.
So somebody on the committee who's a Democrat, we'd really love to find out who, Anna Paulina Luna apparently knows who, says that these Democrat protesters were invited there to disrupt the hearing, which is, of course, against the rules.
So they got carried out.
Some of them physically carried out limb over limb.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is going to be a lot of fun to watch this vote.
Pete Hegseth won confirmation as Secretary of Defense in a magnificent performance that had the most atrocious personal attacks that I have seen since Kavanaugh.
Some of the sickest stuff going after his children, going after his wives, and then Senator Mark Wayne Mullen, who's going to be on the feed, who's going to be on the stream with us.
Senator Mark Wayne Mullen comes over the top and is like, you dumb bastards!
You people show up drunk day and night!
You hypocrites and frauds!
You're all cheating on your spouses!
How many of you guys had to sign some type of agreement with your former wives or your former staffers?
What is the number that Congress has paid out in sexual assault and sexual harassment settlements?
ALX, there's like a number out there.
This is like an article that's written.
It's like hundreds of thousands, millions of dollars.
These monsters.
And they're going to sit there and come after Pete Hegseth for unfounded allegations and claims.
And Pete Hegseth doing a brilliant job saying, Yo, let me explain to you something.
Maybe I should start my show off.
This is too many people with their skulls full of cement.
Around these parts and in this movement and everywhere on the internet.
Let me explain what Christianity looks like.
You are not perfect.
You are a sinner.
You are saved by grace alone.
And God demands that you have grace for others.
In fact, love your enemy.
Treat your neighbor as yourself.
And so Pete Hegseth straight up saying, you know what?
I see what you got on there, Klein.
That's a good one there, buddy.
That's toasting.
We're cooking.
So Pete Tagseth says, yeah, I've made mistakes.
What's the job here?
To be perfect?
What do you mean?
I'm supposed to be like some type of sinless person?
All right, fine.
Well, let's get Christ in this nomination.
If Christ is not available, who's the only sinless person to ever live, then I guess we're going to have to settle on second best with a human being who's made mistakes.
And he admits that he's made mistakes, as have I, as have every one of those senators, sneering and Sniveling.
Elizabeth Warren was grotesque as well.
She got bodied.
She got completely destroyed.
Elizabeth Warren did.
Here we go.
Congress has paid $17 million in sexual misconduct and discrimination settlements.
Wow!
Would you look at that!
Shucks!
Incredible, ladies and gentlemen.
What a...
Very interesting.
Very strange.
Would you look at that?
17 million in sexual misconduct discrimination settlements.
Well, joining us live right now is Senator Mark Wayne Mullen, who we were just talking about did a great job questioning the Democrat side of the dais and arguably the most viral moment from this entire hearing.
Y 'all are drunk womanizers.
And you're going to sit here and judge Pete Hegseth?
Here we go, ladies and gentlemen.
MMA fighter with a perfect record, Senator Mark Wayne Mullin of Oklahoma.
unidentified
MMA fighter with a perfect record, Senator Mark Wayne Mullin of Oklahoma.
benny johnson
What up, Senator?
You came out swinging, brother.
markwayne mullin
Hey, brother.
How you doing?
I'm sorry.
I'm in a vehicle bouncing around.
We just literally just left it and I'm running to another meeting.
benny johnson
Yo.
Yo.
Okay.
So you lit the internet on fire.
Many are saying that you had the best...
Commentary today, what is it that made you, did you just, did you plan that or did you just finally snap and say, I can't stand it with these frauds?
markwayne mullin
No, when the gentleman from Massachusetts, or from Virginia, Senator Cain, when he was questioning, it was so ridiculous because he was showing so much passion and so much, you know, content towards someone's behavior, and you're sitting there going, I...
I know you.
You do know that.
And I know your colleagues.
I know who you serve with.
And you're gonna sit there and you're gonna belittle Pete for his past, which all of us have a past.
None of us have been perfect.
And then you're gonna start telling him that he's not fit to serve?
Are you kidding me?
If that's the standard, half the Senate isn't fit to serve.
So...
benny johnson
Tim Kaine is the same guy, if I recall, and my memory might be a little rusty here, but I can remember to the year 2016, feels like ancient history, where he was siding and running with Hillary Clinton, whose husband is a serial predator.
That's confirmed.
These aren't just baseless allegations.
We know this.
He was impeached for it and for philandering with women who were not his wife.
So it's pretty rich coming from Tim Cain.
markwayne mullin
Yeah, that's kind of a problem, isn't it?
But how quickly we forget when it's all about getting a nude drill or getting a headlight by showing disdain for something that you condoned in the past.
I've never heard him call out his senators for showing up for a late-night vote intoxicated.
I've never heard him go to the floor.
And talking such disdain about one of his colleagues getting a divorce because he was running around on his wife up here.
I've never heard that before.
And I'm not...
benny johnson
Ladies and gentlemen, it's not your feed.
It's because the Senate...
Here we go, Senator.
Can you hear me?
markwayne mullin
Yeah.
Yeah, I got you now.
Sorry.
benny johnson
You cut out for just a second.
Here we go.
You're back.
markwayne mullin
I don't know where I got cut off at, but what I was saying is that the hypocrisy is so real when I've never heard him go to the floor and call out any of his colleagues for showing up to the floor intoxicated or any of his colleagues for getting a divorce, for running around on their wives while they're up here.
And I'm not saying he should.
I'm just saying if you're going to do that, then be consistent with your behavior and disdain for it equally, not just when it fits your narrative.
benny johnson
Yeah, don't run for president with it.
Don't obviously try and put Bill Clinton back in the White House.
That's right.
You're too much of a gentleman to say it, but I'll say it.
It's like, obviously, the guy who's been on Jeffrey Epstein's planes 27 times, and you tried to put that man back in the White House.
markwayne mullin
Yeah, right.
It's just frustrating.
So no, it wasn't planned.
In fact, what I was planning on doing is just kind of giving some softball questions.
Because I've got to spend a lot of time with Pete and got to know his wife, Jennifer, over the last few weeks.
And she's just a salt-of-the-earth individual.
I mean, I'm talking about she is just such a good lady.
And Pete is someone that doesn't hide from him mistakes.
He openly admits it.
And yet he's still willing to put everything on the line.
I have nothing but absolute respect for that.
And so to hear what they were trying to belittle him and accuse him of, it just made my blood boil.
benny johnson
Yeah, I think he did a great job, though.
Talk about, clearly the man knows pressure under fire.
Clearly the man knows what it's like to be under fire.
You can see it today.
Yes.
markwayne mullin
100% could.
And I've said that before.
I've said he was going to do fine because he's been shot at.
He's heard the bullets crack over the top of his head.
I'm not concerned about his composure when things get tough.
He will be just fine.
And it showed it today.
I mean, that was a marathon of a hearing.
He never lost composure.
He never showed disdain.
His body language didn't show disgust.
He just sat there, took the oncoming fire as it took place, and then fired it right back at him.
benny johnson
Yes, he talked with you about DEI, about some of the wokeness in the military.
Some of the attacks, of course, were vile.
What did you get out of his testimony that was extremely positive from Pete?
markwayne mullin
Well, I think one thing he did is he set the tone right.
Listen, I'm not against females or males.
I'm for anybody that's willing to meet the standard for that job.
If it's in the Army, the MOS, if it's 11 Bravo or whatever it is, you're welcome to do the job, but you're going to have the same standard.
Let's set the standard.
We're not going to lower the standard for DEI purposes because we've got to meet certain ratios for equality.
We're going to set the standard.
I think he hit that really heavy, and I think that's a positive.
He also made the point real quick that we're going to go back to protecting the warfighter.
The warfighter is important.
You have 44 generals right now, and when we won World War II, we had 12 when we had four-star generals.
It's amazing to me with what they're able to do right now and how we're able to to even function with the amount of bureaucracy we have and he pointed that out and I'm just I was thrilled to see him say that that we got to bring it back to the simple person that wins the war and that's the warfighter.
benny johnson
Yeah, I think that the Republican side of the dais did a great job in coordinating questioning in order to get at the very root of the heart of it, which is lethality in our military.
And you saw multiple times that the people in the room, perhaps you can confirm this, Senator, who are warfighters, 90% of the room were warfighters and combat veterans who showed up to support Pete.
Man, the room just busted up.
For Pete, he got a standing ovation.
He's currently getting a standing ovation.
He hasn't even left the room yet.
And then when he notified Elizabeth Warren that he's not a general, that one sent everyone.
markwayne mullin
That was awesome.
I thought that was awesome.
When he said that, well, I'm not a general.
But even with that, when she brought up that, she forgot the person that she voted for who's concurrently the Secretary of Defense.
Because she was talking about, when she was referring to the general, she was talking about where you commit to right now, to not going into basically working for an industrial complex within...
And she forgot that the very person she voted for was Secretary Austin to be the current Secretary of Defense, and he left Raytheon to come do it.
It's just, once again, it's just pointing out...
How ridiculous they are, the standard they're trying to hold Pete to, which they never held themselves to, or this current administration to.
benny johnson
Just quickly, Senator, he's going to get in.
He's going to pass.
markwayne mullin
Yeah, he'll get in.
I think he'll probably get 51 or 52 votes.
He may lose one or two senators, but I think he'll be fine.
I think he will get him through at 51, and hopefully we'll be voting on him on the floor on January 20th, right after President Trump has sworn into office.
unidentified
Spectacular.
benny johnson
Courage under fire.
I think Republicans did an incredible job today.
I think they did a spectacular job.
markwayne mullin
Thank you.
Appreciate it.
Thanks for having me on your show, brother.
All right.
benny johnson
Are you in a Jeep?
markwayne mullin
I am.
benny johnson
Bronco?
Okay.
unidentified
No, it's a Jeep.
markwayne mullin
It's actually my Jeep, and it's got a 392 motor in it.
So if you can hear it, it's not just your normal Jeep.
Maybe I overcompensate.
I don't know.
benny johnson
We got some X Games motocross people here.
They were wondering if you were off-roading, if you were at the mud pits right now.
Just wondering.
markwayne mullin
No, no.
It's just got a big motor in it.
benny johnson
Okay.
All right.
Well, I got a producer who wins.
They said it was a Jeep.
All right.
Thank you, Senator.
unidentified
Godspeed.
All right.
markwayne mullin
Thank you.
All right.
unidentified
Bye bye.
Bye bye.
benny johnson
you you Ladies and gentlemen, if you are inside of a Jeep, if you are driving through what I guess must be a war zone in Washington, D.C., certainly was when I was living there, you should be using your Patriot Mobile device.
That's probably what the senator was using as he was joining our show there like this.
We appreciate him.
We love Senator Mark Wayne Mullen.
Ladies and gentlemen, by the way, don't miss out.
We have Anna Paulina Luna, who was in the room there.
Joining the program, ladies and gentlemen, here.
And it's going to be exciting.
We have also multiple warfighters who will be joining the show to defend Pete.
Ladies and gentlemen, Patriot Mobile, of course, is the only Christian conservative wireless provider who can lock you in and set you up no matter where you're going, bumpy jeep, Congress, or otherwise.
Right now, go to PatriotMobile.com slash Benny and call 972-Patriot.
Get a free month of service, the promo code Benny.
They're available on all three networks.
Nationwide coverage.
Exceptional experiences with customer service.
I've had them.
I love Patriot Mobile.
I know them personally.
They're an awesome company.
Switch to Patriot Mobile today and defend freedom with every single call and text that you make.
PatriotMobile.com slash Benny.
PatriotMobile.com slash Benny972.
Patriot.
All right, ladies and gentlemen, we are rocking and rolling.
Yeah, we got multiple producers saying, is he off-roading?
Is he in a Jeep?
What do we got here?
Ladies and gentlemen, we locked in and we are ready to roll.
We have something that I got to play for you quickly here, which is why does he want this job?
I thought this was great from a friend of ours, Rick Scott, a senator from Florida.
Why does Pete Hegseth want the job?
Such a profound answer.
And there's so much going on that, you know, it's hard to, we have like 50 clips that we want to play.
We can't play them all.
Why do you want the job exactly, pal?
Here we go.
rick scott
Why do you want to do this job?
What drives you?
roger wicker
You have 30 seconds.
pete hegseth
Because I love my country, Senator, and I've dedicated my life to the warfighters.
People see me as someone who hosts a morning show on television.
But people that really know me know where my heart's at.
It's with the guys.
In this audience who've had my back and I've had theirs.
We've been in some of the darkest and most difficult places you can ever be in.
You come back a different person.
And only by the grace of God am I here before you today.
I'm doing this job for them.
unidentified
For all of them.
benny johnson
Beautiful.
I love my country and I love them.
And he points back behind him to all of the war fighters.
Combat veterans and service members there.
Just very quickly here before we jump on over to an incredible veterans advocate who will be joining our program to speak about some of the more vicious and slanderous attacks on Pete Hegseth today.
Tiffany Smiley who will be joining us in just a moment.
She's worked with Pete Hegseth for quite a while.
Former triage nurse and somebody who's been working inside of the military ecosystem for Hand in glove with Pete.
This one is just too good.
General Hegseth!
What are you doing, General Hegseth?
Well, I'm not a general.
Boom!
Roasted!
Here we go.
elizabeth warren
You're quite sure that every general who serves should not go directly into the defense industry for 10 years?
You're not willing to make that same pledge?
pete hegseth
I'm not a general, Senator.
elizabeth warren
You'll be the one.
Let us just be clear.
In charge of the generals, so you're saying sauce for the goose, but certainly not sauce for the gander?
pete hegseth
I would want to see what the policy of the president is.
elizabeth warren
Oh, I'll bet you would.
roger wicker
Thank you, Senator Warren.
Senator Tuberville.
tommy tuberville
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thanks for your hard work and your committee's hard work.
Mr. Chairman, this has gone well.
I'd like to submit this letter.
Topic, Conduct at Vets for Freedom.
For Hegseth, I'd like to submit that for the record, please.
roger wicker
Without objection.
tommy tuberville
General Hegseth, I mean Mr. Hegseth, thanks for being here today and with your family.
I know this is tough.
That's what it's all about, though.
You're a tough guy.
benny johnson
Okay, ladies and gentlemen.
Oh, man, one image really sums up what the Senate looked like.
Today, as they confirmed, or are ready to confirm Pete Hegseth, here is the perfect shot of Kristen Gillibrand, who's clearly going to the beauty store and asking for the Gollum treatment.
I don't understand exactly what happened to her.
She looks rough!
Yikes!
Buzz!
I mean, see, we did a side-by-side comparison.
It looks kind of like Gollum.
Right?
And Kristen Gillibrand was running for president, was like a darling.
Man, wokeness destroys the mind, body, and soul.
Wokeness destroys the mind, body, and soul.
Go back to the tweet, Klein.
I want to do a shout-out to Jack.
We haven't talked to a lot of him.
I don't know enough about Jack, mainly because we're scared of people named Jack on Twitter.
But the old Jack's off Twitter.
This Jack works for us, and he's fantastic.
You should go follow Jack Unheard.
He's a spectacular news and content creator.
He's close to 100,000 followers, and we've got to get him over the line, ladies and gentlemen.
Let's give power to our movement and to people who speak truth and who defend freedom.
Jack Unheard, ladies and gentlemen.
Let's get him up to 100K, shall we?
Ladies and gentlemen, joining us now is someone who has a breadth of experience working with Pete Hegseth.
Somebody who really sincerely cares about veterans' issues.
Tiffany Smiley joins the show live now.
you you you Tiffany, thank you so much for being on the program.
It's our first time to meet digitally.
Perhaps you could educate me on the extent of your work with Pete and why you support his nomination for Secretary of Defense.
unidentified
Well, you know, the Pete we saw today is the Pete that I know and have worked with.
And, you know, what I love is that he is tried and true.
And we need that in our country.
We need tried and true leaders, not career politicians, not bureaucrats, you know, not the establishment.
And that's clear now.
More than ever.
You know, Pete gave me a voice when I was fighting for veterans at a time when, you know, it's not always flashy or cool or it doesn't always drive ratings to talk about veterans, the VA and the issues that they face.
But he did because he knew it was right.
And that's the heart of the warrior that we saw today.
You know, when Senator Rick Scott asked Pete, you know, why do you want this job?
Because clearly who wants to sit there in front of, you know, the whole world and face those questions?
His response, it gave me goosebumps.
He says, because I love my country.
And that's exactly the Pete that I know, who would give someone like me, a family like ours, a voice who had to fight two wars.
You know, my husband was blinded in Iraq by a suicide car bomb in 2005.
And then I had to fight when he's hanging on for life at Walter Reed.
I had to fight for him when he didn't have a voice and fight the war here at home.
Pete understands the bureaucracy, the red tape that we lay in front of our service members.
But not only that, it's not just our service members.
It's the whole family.
And if we want recruitment to be better, if we want to show this world who our country truly is, we have to understand that it's a holistic approach.
And Pete gave me a voice.
He didn't just have me on one time after my op-ed in the Wall Street Journal.
He had me on multiple times.
He was willing to talk.
He gets it.
And I can't wait for him to be confirmed.
benny johnson
I think we have that op-ed right here.
Let's pop it up on screen.
If not, then it's another op-ed that you've written.
Pete Hegseth is exactly what we need in the United States military.
I've seen it firsthand.
You're somebody who, again, has worked with Pete, and he had courage under fire today.
This man has clearly been in combat.
And he got a withering barrage of IEDs and Scud missiles and dirty bombs from the Democrat side of the dais.
And a lot of those were based on his personal life, his...
You know, women, his children, and like going deep and dark and a lot of allegations, a lot of unfounded allegations.
What was your reaction watching that line of questioning?
It seemed really consistent on the Democrat side.
You'd think they'd be asking about military readiness, right?
And like war fighting, but this is what they decided to ask about.
unidentified
You would think that they would be inquiring, right, correct, about the future of our military and recruitment.
I mean, a lot of people aren't talking about this, but our recruitment is at alarming levels.
I also, I want to know, why are all the Democrat senators, they seem so angry and then so vindictive and they were screaming and it was not appealing at all.
But Pete handled himself well.
benny johnson
Low testosterone.
Low testosterone will do it to you.
Trust me, we're experts at being screamed at on the internet all day.
It's low testosterone.
It's criminally low in so many weeks.
unidentified
This is exactly what the American people are sick of.
That kind of action, that kind of questioning.
It's time we get back to open dialogue, to sincere, authentic, transparent.
Pete has been so transparent and upfront with everything.
And he is exactly the man to lead the Department of Defense forward.
You know what else is refreshing is he's not attached to any special interest group.
You know, and when I worked with him, he really got that because I was sort of working on the outside of the VA and the bureaucracy because of all the red tape.
That happens in government in D.C. And Pete just really, you know, it's refreshing.
It's a breath of fresh air.
He's one of us.
He's tried and true.
He will cut through the red tape.
He's not bought and sold by special interests.
He doesn't have D.C. lobbyists coming after him.
He's not going for a big contracting job at Raytheon or somewhere else.
He has our backs.
And that's the backs of the warfighters.
And that's exactly what we need in this country.
benny johnson
Maybe you can get onto a personal level, since the Democrats decided to personally slander and attack this man they don't know, and they have all these undounded allegations.
It's the Kavanaugh book all over again.
They'll roll it out every single time.
You are a military wife.
You're somebody who's worked and have to see firsthand.
You're also a nurse, I believe, yes.
And so it's like, what was your experience working with Pete?
Was he ever dismissive or rude to you?
Did he ever, like, treat you as lesser than?
You know, hand in glove, what was he like working with?
unidentified
Yeah, I feel like Pete reached out his hand in a moment where I needed a voice and lifted me up.
And gave me a voice.
He's wonderful.
Like, you know, he was amazing to work with.
And then I met him a couple years later after even him having me on air several times.
He knew exactly who I was.
He knows the issues.
He gets it.
I have nothing but respect for him and his courage to stand up and continue to serve our country.
It's not easy.
I don't think a lot of people realize he's taking on massive sacrifices to do this.
And I'm grateful.
Our family is grateful.
I'm grateful.
And I know that he will get, you know, when he is confirmed, he will reach his hand down to all the warfighters and say, come on, let's go.
It's going to be a beautiful day for our country.
benny johnson
Yes.
So they made him out to be some type of knuckle-dragging, drooling, lecherous lurch, and that has not been your...
unidentified
Not at all.
Not even close.
This can't come soon enough, and I encourage the Senate to move swiftly and quickly to get these nominations through, specifically our national security nominations, and get President Trump's agenda implemented as soon as possible.
benny johnson
Wonderful.
So, as somebody who obviously experiences...
Life in the military and inside of the military ecosystem.
What is the first thing you want to see Pete do?
Maybe one of the first things you want to see him do when he gets the chair at the Pentagon.
unidentified
Yeah, well, I think, number one, he needs to end the wokeness.
We know that it's infiltrated into our military.
And he made that very clear.
You know, there's one job for the Department of Defense, and that's our readiness and our lethality and protection of the American people.
So I think that that's number one.
Let's have standards.
And then second is recruitment.
We know our numbers are extremely low, and that should trouble every single American, especially when you look at the dumpster fire that President Biden has created for President Trump to take on, and the force and the lethality that we need in our country and to show the world that you don't want to mess with us.
We're the best, the brightest, the fastest, quickest.
We have the biggest ships, the biggest guns, the best technology.
And, you know, you don't want to mess with our country.
And that's what Pete will restore and bring back that integrity.
And also accountability.
When you look at the former Secretary of Defense, there was zero accountability.
And if those Democrats who are questioning Pete today, you know, I'm assuming they all confirmed the former SecDef, they should take a look in the mirror.
There was no accountability.
And I know that people restore that within the Department of Defense.
He's a warrior.
He's not afraid.
He showed us today.
He's not afraid to stand up and take accountability and be transparent.
benny johnson
If these Democrat senators looked in the mirror, they'd see this, and it'd be extremely frightening, actually.
unidentified
Whoa.
benny johnson
Oh, my gosh.
Yikes.
One ring to rule them all, right?
My precious.
Eat a fish!
So, final question for you, Tiffany.
What's your message to the Democrat senators who lost their minds and had these, like, unhinged, psychotic meltdowns over baseless, nameless, anonymous allegations against Pete Hegseth?
What's your message to them?
Since you are going to go on the record here.
unidentified
Yeah, I would ask them to put politics aside.
I know that's hard to do in Washington, D.C., especially as a Democrat senator, but to really step back and look at our country as a whole and look at the future, because my sons are the ones that will be fighting these future wars.
And I took on the VA.
I took on, you know, the DOD for my husband.
But not only that, I did it for my boys to know, you know, my husband lost his eyesight serving our country, and I did it to make sure.
That my boys have a country that's worth losing their eyesight for.
And that's what's on the line here.
So it's not about being Democrat or Republican.
It's about being an American.
And I hope that they can reflect and really think through what that means, what that means for the future, for our children in the next 10, 20, 30 years in this country and put aside the partisan politics and just get the job done.
That's what this election...
The mandate was sent down from the American people to them.
So maybe they should, you know, rethink November 5th and what the people in this country really want.
benny johnson
Yeah, that's right.
The will of the people.
Did not vote for Kristen Gillibrand to stand there in a bar and sip or drink and yell, gay rights!
I don't know if you've ever seen that.
TikTok, it's literally one of the funniest, saddest things ever.
It's like, oh man, she's unbelievably cringe.
But I hope she has a great time with the One Ring to rule them all tonight as she caresses it.
We are very thankful for you and your fight and for what you've done vocally for Pete Hegseth.
Everybody please follow Tiffany Smiley and smile along with her.
Post on X!
Godspeed.
unidentified
Thank you, Benny.
Thank you.
Thank you.
benny johnson
you you Alright, ladies and gentlemen, we have a really kick-ass guest that is joining us right now.
We're really honored to have him.
He's former Navy SEAL Bill Brown, who happens to be joined by a bunch of combat veterans, I think an entire busload of them, who are on Capitol Hill right now to say, Pete is the man for the char!
Ladies and gentlemen, former Navy SEAL Bill Brown joins us live now.
Bill, what's going on man?
What's happening?
unidentified
Hey, Betty, how you doing?
benny johnson
Bro, look at this.
You're in a whole bus.
You're in the bus.
unidentified
Hey, I got one thing to say.
Who ya?
PXM!
Woo!
Hey, bring that sign back here.
benny johnson
All right.
unidentified
Hey, we're out.
We've been out here since 8 in the morning.
The Vietnam War Memorial we started.
We're holding the moral high ground.
We're letting everybody know what we're about.
Hey, turn that sign around the other way.
Thanks.
benny johnson
There you go.
unidentified
Raise it up.
There you go.
benny johnson
Yeah.
Americans for Pete Hegseth.
unidentified
That's it.
We're not messing around.
We're at a turning point right now.
Our country's in serious trouble.
Look, this is what happened.
There was a major statement made with that election.
They didn't win any swing states.
And you know what?
If they had voter IDs, they wouldn't have won any states.
There was a statement the American people made.
President Trump has a right to pick his cabinet.
This is all BS.
Any Republican senator that doesn't get on board has got to get primated and get the hell out of there.
Our country's in trouble.
Our military...
Hey, Benny.
I'm a SEAL.
I'm an Iraq veteran.
I got SEALs behind me.
I got Scott Brady.
He's a famous fighter pilot.
What's going on?
They made a movie about him.
Look, we're tired of what's going on.
Look, when you give trillions of dollars of military gear to our enemy, there's a problem.
Look, when you let a spy balloon go over sensitive military installations, there is a problem.
You know, your last guest was so right.
There was no accountability.
You can't have discipline if you don't have accountability.
You can't win wars if you don't have discipline.
Look, Pete's got to get in there.
All those generals that bend a knee to the woke ideology, they've got to get the hell out of there.
They put us all in danger.
You open up that border, all the sophisticated portable weapons systems out there, we talk about mass horror in every major city.
Look, the CIA...
NSA, FBI, none of them can say I'm lying.
That was a huge national security threat not to close that border.
They were asleep at the wheel.
They gotta go.
All this other stuff, you know what's funny?
We called it Operation Full Court Press.
We got a bunch of SEALs and veterans.
We packed them in that confirmation hearing room.
And then we marched all around Washington, D.C. We marched all across the city.
My legs are tired.
And I've ran a couple marathons.
We were out here all day.
And you know what's funny?
We held the moral high ground.
Those guys in the Senate hearing, we called them pinkies.
They're in the back, being disruptive.
That's not how you act.
This is how we act.
We're out here sending the right message.
Our country, we're not going to get too many opportunities.
We've got to change things for the best.
We've got to get on track.
We've got to support me.
And you know one thing I love about Pete?
He didn't flinch.
Just like Trump, he didn't flinch.
We're not flinching.
benny johnson
Yes, we love that.
We're going to put up some B-roll of you guys marching through the World War II memorial right now.
Military veterans support Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense.
Can you explain that sign to me, Bill?
Because the entire hearing room was packed with combat veterans.
I've never seen that before on Capitol Hill.
Why does Pete resonate so well with the warfighter?
unidentified
Number one, he went to war for a country, Iraq and Afghanistan.
He knows what's funny.
Some of the things he's taken heat for, he said out of love.
Look, here's the truth.
We believe in equality.
We actually believe that we love our female veterans.
God bless them, right?
But the truth is, there are distinctions between men and women.
There are certain positions out there, like in the premier action units, where guess what?
Not many women have what it...
What it takes is the physical body.
I'm a big guy.
Look at my buddy Bigby behind me.
He's a big guy.
If I get shot, most women ain't going to be able to drag me out of there.
They're just not.
That's the truth.
Look, what the woke military did is they lowered the standards to get the results they wanted for PR.
Well, PR is going to get us killed.
PR is going to get those females killed.
It's going to get those men killed.
We've got to refocus on the one thing about protecting us when we need it.
Pete had the courage to step up and say, hey, something's wrong.
He had the courage to say something's wrong in the Pentagon.
Guess what?
If this doesn't get fixed now, look what's happening now with Chinese later generation fighters.
We're not having the ability to keep up.
China just hacked into our U.S. Treasury Department.
They hacked into our telecom communications.
Look, there's two things we need to win in war.
One is you need the tactical advantage, and two, guess what you need?
You need discipline.
We're falling behind in a tactical advantage, and we sure as heck not going to have discipline when you don't have accountability.
Well, Pete's going to change that.
What have we learned from this election?
They use lawfare.
They use welfare.
They'll do anything and everything to retain power, and that's what they're doing in that confirmation room.
They're acting like a bunch of babies.
Screaming, crying, interrupting things.
We're the adults in the room.
We've been to war.
If you have 100 SEALs and veterans coming to Washington, D.C., marching all around this city, busloads of us getting up at 3.30 in the morning so we can pack it by 4 a.m., maybe the senators should listen.
benny johnson
Yes.
It's freezing cold in Washington, D.C. What you guys have done has been truly noble.
You're up before the sun even rose.
And you've been marching for, what, six, seven hours.
Now, inside of the committee hearing rooms, you were escorted out if you made any noise.
But you can make noise.
What would you like to tell the Democrat senators that so viciously slandered and attacked Pete Hegseth today?
unidentified
I think you've got to really refocus what matters.
Listen, that open border, you saw what happened in New York City when they ain't properly vet somebody if someone gets burnt alive.
That's nothing comparable to portable weapons systems that can have mass horror.
And did you think that a lot of our adversaries, some of those jihadist extremist organizations, do you think they haven't realized how open and vulnerable we are with our border?
Look, that put us all at risk.
And no one stood up.
No one stood up.
When your military doesn't stand up to that, they're not putting our interests first.
And any senator...
You don't have to be intellectual to realize that.
Any senator should realize they didn't put America first.
They didn't put us first.
Look, if they don't change course, you saw what happened on 9-11 when we were asleep at the wheel.
You saw what happened to Israel recently on October 7th when they were asleep at the wheel.
It will happen to us.
The Pentagon better wake up.
benny johnson
Yes.
So, final question for you, Bill.
And again, thank you for your service.
Maybe you could speak as a serviceman, as a warfighter, as somebody who went and deployed for your country and gained the most elite status you can in the military as a Navy SEAL, served with honor.
What do you want to see Pete Hegseth do?
First day in the chair as Secretary of Defense.
unidentified
The first thing I want them to do is I want to re-establish the two things that we need to be successful in war.
One is a tactical advantage.
Warfare is not going to be like it used to be.
They're talking about lowering the standards.
Warfare is more technologically advanced than it's ever been.
It's going to continue to be that.
We need to recruit the right type of personnel so we can compete, because in war there's no second place.
Two, you can't win wars if you don't have discipline.
You won't have discipline if you don't have accountability.
Look, there have been massive oversights that have put us all at risk.
He needs to get accountability.
benny johnson
This has been really inspiring, and I'm so proud to have had you and your crew there join our show.
You were out with dozens.
I just want to get this right.
Dozens, hundreds of veterans, thousands that marched for Pete today?
unidentified
You can see some of the pictures I sent you.
Well over 200.
We've been out here so many hours now, you know, a lot of the guys and gals, you know, a little sore.
So, you know, a couple bus rides home.
Here's the thing.
Look, this is about our country.
This is about our safety.
The Pentagon's values were misplaced.
You know, they were focused on things that really non-threats, like white conservative males.
Look, guess what?
Not to say there's not some outliers out there, but when you're focused on that instead of things like real threats, you put us all at risk.
When you're not focused on giving us a tactical advantage, when you're not focused on accountability, you're going to put yourself in trouble.
You're going to put us all in trouble.
You saw what happened previously with Israel and in New York City.
We don't want that anymore.
You cannot have an open border like that.
benny johnson
Yep, that's right.
This is security for all Americans.
Anybody, you don't need a military background to obviously know what a threat it is, and then you can see what's been happening with everything from the LA fires, the terrorist attacks, and New Orleans.
This country needs some reformation and a revival, and some people that are really serious about catching real terrorists and criminals and not innocent and peaceful protesters from January 6th.
unidentified
Benny, let's talk about the fraud, waste, and abuse.
Let's talk about seven failed audits.
You want to talk about accountability?
Just this year, they can't figure out where $824 million of military assets are.
Like, what the hell is going on?
Let's talk about why the hell are we giving millions of dollars to the Taliban, where it's al-Qaeda at the Great Adventure over there.
Like, what the hell is going on?
Like, seriously, there's got to be investigation.
You can't fail seven audits and think it's okay.
Like, what's going on?
benny johnson
What's going on?
We're so honored to have you on the program.
Thank you for your work.
It's so wonderful to see patriotic American flags waving in our nation's capital, even in subzero temperatures.
Tough guy like yourself, though, Bill.
I'm sure you didn't even feel it.
Everybody should follow Bill Brown here in what I think is warmer climate, doing some push-ups and going swimming.
Pete Hegseth had a pair of those on, right?
This is like a Navy SEAL thing, right?
unidentified
You know what?
He helped us raise millions of dollars, and that's for SEALs, veterans, gold stars, and your family.
So you bet your butt we're supporting Pete.
benny johnson
Well done.
Well done.
It's an honor to have you on the show.
Thank you to your entire crew.
Godspeed.
Thank you for your service.
Let's get Pete Hegseth in the chair.
unidentified
Hey guys, ready?
Who loves any?
Texas!
Ha ha ha ha ha ha!
benny johnson
That's a first, and I freaking love it, ladies and gentlemen.
It gets the people going!
Thank you.
Thank you.
Godspeed.
unidentified
That's me.
Thank you.
benny johnson
you you All right, ladies and gentlemen, that was freaking epic.
Okay, we're going to check in on Anna Paulina Luna, who is, I guess, voting on the floor of the House right now.
She wants to jump on the feed.
But we are going to check in with her, ladies and gentlemen, in just a moment.
My producers are seeing if she can still join the program.
I'd love for her to talk about this, which is something that made a lot of news.
The weight of a rucksack, the weight that a soldier must carry, doesn't change whether you're a man or a woman.
A tank shell, mortar round, still weighs the same.
It doesn't.
It doesn't get somehow smaller or less heavy because of your gender.
So, ladies and gentlemen, Pete Hegseth revealing that there are different standards for women and men, even though that's insane, because the equipment weighs the same.
And so you need specific individuals in specific positions, and this makes just perfect common sense, and that's something that we've been missing from our government for so long.
Here we go.
tom cotton
Trump indicated at all that he plans to rescind or alter that guidance?
pete hegseth
You're correct to point out, Senator, that these are the decisions that the Commander-in-Chief will have the prerogative to make.
He has not indicated to me that he has plans to change whether or not women would have access to these roles.
However, I would point out, ensuring that standards are equal and high is of importance to him and great importance to me.
Because in those ground combat roles, what is true?
Is that the weight of the ruck on your back doesn't change.
The weight of the 155 round that you have to carry doesn't change.
The weight of the 240 Bravo machine gun you might have to carry doesn't change.
And so whether it's a man or a woman, they have to meet the same high standards.
And Senator, in any place where those things have been eroded or in courses, criteria have been changed in order to meet quotas.
Racial quotas or gender quotas, that is putting a focus on something other than readiness, standards, meritocracy, and lethality.
So that's the kind of review I'm talking about, not whether women have access to ground combat.
benny johnson
Bro did a great job.
He did a great job.
Well done.
Sincerely.
Well done.
Speaking of carrying out some dead weight, here's what happened with protesters.
When they were protesting, Peter Heseth carried out military.
pete hegseth
Addressing the recruiting crisis, the retention crisis, and readiness crisis in our ranks.
roger wicker
Members of the security force will remove members.
unidentified
Members.
roger wicker
Mr. Heseth, you may.
unidentified
I think there's, like, they were, like, physically hoisting and carrying.
Very good.
benny johnson
Hey, man, sign that guy up.
They can clearly rock a sack.
Ana Polina Luna, again, noting that these were Democrat protesters that were planted there by the Democrat members of the Senate.
They were given tickets to come and do exactly that.
But they didn't stop Pete Hegseth from making an excellent point about Rifleman versus General.
About generals who lose wars.
Man, this is refreshing to hear people speak like this.
pete hegseth
Because everybody in this room knows, if you're a rifleman and you lose your rifle, they're throwing the book at you.
But if you're a general who loses a war, you get a promotion.
That's not going to happen in Donald Trump's Pentagon.
There will be real standards for success.
Everyone from the top, from the most senior general to the most lowly private.
will ensure that they're treated fairly, men and women, inside that system.
benny johnson
All right, ladies and gentlemen.
The more I, like, re-watching this, you just say, man, that dude was sharp.
unidentified
He was just sharp as a tack.
benny johnson
Pete Hegseth talking about the rot of defense contractors and cronyism inside of our Pentagon, which hasn't passed an audit in your lifetime or mine, even though they spend tremendous Trillions of dollars, you'd assume you'd want to know where that money's going, and we know exactly where it's going, to the Taliban, to arm them as we leave all of our gear there.
Ladies and gentlemen, Pete Hegseth saying we're going to root out the cancer inside of our military.
pete hegseth
Now, it is true and has been acknowledged that I don't have a similar biography to defense secretaries of the last 30 years.
But as President Trump also told me, we've repeatedly placed people atop the Pentagon with supposedly the right credentials.
Whether they are retired generals, academics, or defense contractor executives.
And where has it gotten us?
He believes, and I humbly agree, that it's time to give someone with dust on his boots the helm.
A change agent.
Someone with no vested interest in certain companies or specific programs or approved narratives.
My only special interest is the warfighter.
Deterring wars, and if called upon, winning wars by ensuring our warriors never enter a fair fight.
We let them win, and we bring them home.
Like many of my generation, I've been there.
I've led troops in combat.
I've been on patrol for days.
I've pulled the trigger downrange, heard bullets whizzed by, flex-cuffed insurgents, called in close air support, led medevacs, dodged IEDs, pulled out dead bodies.
And knelt before a battlefield cross.
This is not academic for me.
This is my life.
I led then and I will lead now.
benny johnson
And brother, that is strong.
What a strong, you know, you sit through four straight hours of testimony and you don't actually absorb some of the stuff because it's just so much.
And that is just such a solid case.
That he has actually done the work.
The dirt on his boots.
The dust on his boots.
Kneeling before a battlefield cross to say goodbye to a fallen service member.
How many generals have actually done that?
How many people who lead our Pentagon from defense contractors, fat and rich, have actually done that?
You want to know why they love this man?
This is why they love this man.
PDXeth says that this is obviously a tactic to destroy me.
The attacks on me are unfounded.
They're baseless.
They're false.
And they are clearly set up to try and bring the Kavanaugh treatment, something that we've seen a lot of these days, a desperate and floundering tactic.
The demon screams of the Democrat side of the aisle, so embarrassing.
We'll play a few of them for you.
Pete Hegseth defending himself.
pete hegseth
So from story after story in the media, left-wing media, we saw...
Anonymous source after anonymous source based on second or third-hand accounts.
And time and time again, stories would come out and people would reach out to me and say, you know, I've spoken to this reporter about who you really are and I was willing to go on the record.
But they didn't print my quote.
They didn't print any of my quotes.
Or I've worked with you for 10 years, or I was your accountant, or I was your chief operating officer, or I was your board member, or I was with you on a hundred different tour stops for Concerned Veterans for America.
No one called me.
No one asked about your conduct on the record or off the record.
Instead, a small handful of anonymous sources We're allowed to drive a smear campaign and agenda about me because our left-wing media in America today, sadly, doesn't care about the truth.
All they were out to do, Mr. Chairman, was to destroy me.
And why do they want to destroy me?
Because I'm a change agent and a threat to them because Donald Trump was willing to choose me, to empower me, to bring the Defense Department back to what it really should be, which is warfighting.
So I'm willing to endure these attacks.
But what I will do is stand up for the truth and for my reputation.
False attacks, anonymous attacks, repeated ad nauseum, printed ad nauseum, as facts, we have provided to the committee, Mr. Chairman, and I know you're going to share, on the record statement after on the record statement from people who have served with me, worked with me at Fox News, Concerned Vets, Vets for Freedom, you name it.
From the top of the chain to the bottom.
Who will say I treat them with respect, with kindness, with dignity?
That's men, that's women, that's black, that's white, that's every background.
I have prided myself as a leader of respecting people, being professional.
That is the balance of mind.
I'm not a perfect person, as has been acknowledged.
Saved by the grace of God, by Jesus and Jenny.
I'm not a perfect person, but redemption is real.
And God forged me in ways that I know I'm prepared for.
And I'm honored by the people standing and sitting behind me and look forward to leading this Pentagon on behalf of the warfighters.
unidentified
Thank you.
benny johnson
It's nice to sit back and to watch that with all of you and to see it without sort of the fire of it being alive and trying to catch up to the next thing, right?
Get a chance to, like, let a breath, you know.
Breathe and see how utterly eloquent and how incredible his performance was.
A stellar performance today by Pete Hegseth.
Pete Hegseth will and must be our next Secretary of Defense.
Any senator that votes against Pete Hegseth after this preponderous and absolutely marvelous Holding down of what we all voted for, which is what it really is.
Like, we voted for nominees that speak like this, that have this priority, that have that fire in their gut and that wish to restore our military.
That's part of what we all voted for.
That's why thousands of veterans are marching through Washington, D.C. today in sub-zero temperatures.
This is an extension of 77 million Americans, the will of the people.
Senators that vote against the will of the people and the party that they have sworn their allegiance to must go.
There must be a primary challenger and they must go the way of Liz Cheney.
Liz Cheney lost by I think like 60 points in her Wyoming primary and that awaits any Republican senator that dares vote against Pete Hegseth.
Nay I say vote against the will of the people.
Any of Trump's picks.
The freakout, of course, was legendary.
Here we have a funny tweet that's going viral right now.
Literally worse than active combat.
It doesn't have audio to it?
unidentified
All right, let's just toss her up.
Yes or no, did you get an honest?
Ah!
benny johnson
Oh, man.
Ladies and gentlemen.
Oh, it's tough to hear.
Maisie Hirono.
And hey, yeah, producers, I just got a message from Anna Paulina Luna.
She's okay, great.
Okay.
All right.
She really wants to join this program.
And so she says, yeah, let's do it.
unidentified
Okay.
benny johnson
So Anna Polina Luna will be joining the program.
I got to get a response to this.
I got to get a response to this meme.
It is all like the screaming and the yelling.
Anna Polina Luna is someone who is a woman in the military.
She's actively serving.
That's what all of these individuals are screaming about.
So maybe we can get a good response there to Maisie Hirono.
Who's definitely an IQ of 50, asking about the invasion of Greenland from a military perspective.
Don't tempt us!
Right?
unidentified
Here we go.
Would you use our military to take over Greenland or an ally of Denmark?
pete hegseth
Senator, one of the things that President Trump is so good at is never strategically tipping his hand.
And so I would never in this public forum give one way or another direct what orders the President would give me in any context.
unidentified
sounds to me that you would contemplate carrying out such an order to basically invade Greenland and take over the Panama Canal.
It's like a Pixar character.
It's like created in a laboratory to be just the dumbest stooge.
benny johnson
Look at this.
That's a great meme.
Oh, the memes are rolling in Gillibrand.
unidentified
Oh, gosh.
That's great.
The cat meme.
These are pretty good.
benny johnson
Alpha Chad.
Come on.
unidentified
It's your boy Pete!
benny johnson
Ladies and gentlemen, screaming Gillibrand.
Oh, I'm so sorry for your ears.
I'm so sorry.
Hang with us.
Stay with us.
Annapolino Luna coming up in just a second.
She's running back to her office to join the show.
Screaming Gillibrand.
Raging.
Clearly something horribly wrong with her.
Just a miserable person.
It's amazing how when Christ talks about people who have light, the light shines from you.
And no matter what, you are still joyous and uplifting and the eyes are the windows to the soul kind of thing, right?
I always want to make sure that we do the show Clear-Eyed and we laugh about everything that's happening in the world because why the hell not?
You just got to let that light come from within you.
You can see darkness.
When people live in darkness, you can see it.
When their souls have been overtaken by the darkness, you can see.
unidentified
They sound actually just like this.
Everything you've said in these public statements is politics.
I don't want women.
I don't want moms.
What's wrong with a mom, by the way?
Once you have babies, you therefore are no longer able to be lethal?
I mean, you're basically saying women, after they have children, can't ever serve in the military in a combat role.
It's a silly thing to say.
It's a silly thing to say.
Beneath the position that you are aspiring to.
To denigrate LGBTQ service members is a mistake.
If you are a sharpshooter, you're as lethal, regardless of what your gender identity is, regardless of who you love.
So please know this to be a true statement.
So you say it was a political thing.
You say it undermined us.
Social engineering.
I don't know why someone having to publicly say or not publicly say who they love is social engineering.
benny johnson
I think how- Somebody should do that as like a meme where she's like on a therapy couch, right?
And like the therapist just has his face in his hand and she's just screaming and just going on and on and on.
Take a breath, lady.
Take a breath.
We made this meme.
We thought it was funny.
My precious.
What happened?
These photos, the top photos are only five years apart.
What the hell?
What are they drinking in D.C.?
unidentified
Yo!
benny johnson
Whoa!
Buzz, your girlfriend!
I don't do a good Gollum impression.
I don't do a good Gollum impression.
Not even going to try the Gollum voice.
Not even going to try it, ladies and gentlemen.
One more.
Ashley sent the funny clip of the funny meme of her talking with a really high voice.
Do we have that?
Okay, if not, we will rock and roll.
Senator Mullen calling these people out as frauds.
Senator Mullen calling them out as fraudulent to their faces and saying, like what he just said on the program, y 'all are clearly a bunch of people who can't look in the mirror.
And maybe you won't look in the mirror because, well, you'd be scared of what you see.
You'd look very much like Gollum.
unidentified
This was...
benny johnson
Without question, the best moment of the hearing, in my humble opinion.
Here we go.
markwayne mullin
You know, there's a lot of talk going about, talking about qualifications and then about us hiring him if we are the board, but there's a lot of senators here I wouldn't have on my board because there is no qualifications except your age and you got to be living in the state and you're a citizen of the United States to be a senator.
Other than the fact that we've got to convince a lot of people to vote for us.
And then when we start talking about qualifications for if you're qualified for it, could the chairman tell me what the qualifications are for the Secretary of Defense?
Mr. Chairman, could you tell me what the qualifications are for the Secretary of Defense?
roger wicker
I'd be happy for you to do that.
markwayne mullin
Let me read it for you.
roger wicker
I was getting some advice from my second-in-command.
markwayne mullin
Yeah, but I'm just making a point because there's a lot about qualifications.
I think it's so hypocritical of senators, especially on the other side of the aisle, be talking about his qualifications, not going to be the Secretary of Defense, and yet your qualifications aren't any better.
You guys aren't any more qualified to be the senator than I'm qualified to be the senator, except we're lucky enough to be here.
But let me read you what the qualifications of the Secretary of Defense is, because I googled it, and I googled it and went through a lot of different sites, and really it's hard to see, but in general, the U.S. Secretary of Defense position is filled by a civilian.
That's it.
If you have served in the U.S. Army forces, And I've been in the service for, you have to be retired for at least seven years, and Congress can weigh that.
And then there's questions that the senator from Massachusetts brought up about serving on a board inside the military industry, and yet your own secretary that you all voted for, Secretary Austin, we had to vote on a waiver because he stepped out the board of Raytheon.
benny johnson
And y 'all are drunks!
And y 'all cheat on your wives!
This editor continued to go on and on.
It was awesome!
He repeated himself also on this program, ladies and gentlemen, and I loved that line of questioning.
How many of y 'all showed up drunk for a vote, you frauds?
Well done.
Ladies and gentlemen, joining the program live right now, fresh off the House floor, and a couple of votes, somebody who was rocking it inside of the...
Actual hearing room, somebody who is herself a service member and serving in Congress is the great Florida Congresswoman, Anna Paulina Luna, joining us live now.
unidentified
Hey, APL, what was it like in there?
benny johnson
I can hear a little bit of an echo here with a shot.
Yeah, we can hear an echo here, so we're going to have to mute.
Mute something.
Yeah, okay.
There we go.
We can fix it on our end.
Don't worry about it, Congresswoman.
So I will speak slowly.
What was it like in the hearing room?
How do you think Pete Hegseth did today?
anna paulina luna
You know, I was there, and the reason I wanted to go, Benny, is because not only am I a veteran, but I'm a member of Congress, and these crazy smear campaigns, mind you, this is unfortunately nothing new on the Hill or in Washington, D.C. If you are a conservative, if you are male, specifically if you are a white male,
it seems that all the allegations that are constantly being thrown by the left and the radical left at that that's hijacked Democrats is really that you are either an adulterer, a womanizer, an alcoholic, all of these quiet It's accusations that come forward from unnamed sources.
And so I saw this happening to Pete, and then I would say one of the more crazy accusations was that he was somehow a white supremacist because he had the Jerusalem cross tattooed on him, which I would then respond, if Pete Hegseth is such a white nationalist, why is it that Jimmy Carter's funeral pamphlet had the same cross, or why is it that it's on the floor of churches?
And so I wanted to show my support for him, and of course, just as I had suspected, as soon as we got in, it hadn't even been five years.
Five minutes into the opening where he was really asked to address some of those false accusations.
So I think that he actually did well.
I think Pete, you know, he had mentioned that he was forged and that it really prepared him for this position.
And I would agree, you know, a lot of what these senators were looking for, specifically those that have been really campaigning and putting on their social medias, messaging against Hegseth because he's a Trump appointment for SecDef, you know, he was able to debunk and really not give them the sound whites that they were looking for.
So very happy with his performance.
You know, I have a little boy and I would never want him to go through that just because of his political ideologies.
benny johnson
Yeah, I loved him saying, I'm a Christian.
I'm saved by faith.
Everybody needs redemption and forgiveness.
I have a beautiful family.
I have a beautiful wife.
And then the other senators got what was coming to him with Mark Wayne Mullen saying, yeah, y 'all, y 'all, y 'all were, y 'all coming after this guy for drinking too much.
And for cheating on his wife?
Like, who are you?
Have you ever looked in the mirror?
What's your message to the Democrats, specifically the female Democrats that were so vicious and so vile against Pete Hegseth in this hearing?
anna paulina luna
You know, they kept bringing up the fact, and of course this was taken out of context, but they kept bringing up the fact that Pete was allegedly saying that women shouldn't serve in the military.
They were implying it, right?
The fact is that that could not be farther from the truth.
I've actually been talking with Pete throughout this process.
Pete knows I'm a combat veteran, not a combat veteran, but he knows I'm a veteran.
And he also, too, you know, that was a point of discussion, and part of the reason why I was vocally there to support him is because he realized they were going to try to attack him with that.
But I want to kind of get into that.
So, first of all, the Senate actually had passed in the NDAA, or tried to send it back to the House, a measure that would actually, and this was pushed by Senate Democrats, that would actually cause women to have to register for the draft.
And so, it's interesting.
They keep advocating that women should be put on the front lines.
And I would actually say, as a member of the military, you know, there are certain roles that women serve in the military, and there are great roles.
But I would be very And I think that this should be brought up with the Trump administration on putting women specifically into some of these positions that would not just hurt the women, but also result in, I think, jeopardizing the mission of the entire team.
So one thing that people don't discuss is there was a study done, and I want to try to define that study for you, Betty, so that you can see it.
But it addressed specifically that when women were in crisis and Men saw that, that men would naturally respond to get that woman out of crisis.
Now, that's the right thing for men to do.
I think that whole idea of men being defenders, I think that, and I would applaud that.
I think that that's the natural instinct for most men.
But when you have women that are in combat And I definitely think women serve an incredible role in the military, but I would not ever advocate for women being put directly into harm's way.
And it's unfortunate that people like myself can say that, but if Pete Hegseth says it because of his packaging, then he's somehow anti-woman.
And so, you know, again, these same senators are advocating for men and women's support.
I'm glad that he really was able to refute that and correct that.
But again, it's just unfortunately the game of the political landscape.
benny johnson
Ladies and gentlemen, yes, OK.
I just want to just getting a message right now, you know.
OK.
All right.
Good for my producers.
Quickly here.
Bill Clinton.
Is somebody who we know is an absolute monster.
We know that Bill Clinton is himself a predator and somebody who cheated on his wife time and time and time again.
Yet Tim Kaine, who had the harshest critique of Pete Hexf today, ran with Hillary Clinton for president to put Bill Clinton back in the White House.
The guy who was on the Lolita Express 27 different times.
You've talked about it a little bit, the Epstein list on this program.
Just your takeaway on sort of the egregious fraudulence.
anna paulina luna
I think a lot of people saw Cain's questioning.
Remember, a lot of people don't even know who Cain is.
I think when you bring up the fact that he ran with Hillary Clinton, a lot of people don't know that.
But when you see how nasty he was and that he brought up, I mean, he literally made false allegations against Hegseth, of which some of the senators to their credit said, you know, here's a list of people that have refuted that and or these are false claims.
But it just goes to show that they actually can't and they truly don't understand the problems that exist with the Department of Defense.
You know, Pete, a lot of what he was...
And I wish the media would cover more is the nature and culture in the military that's contributed to the decline in enlistment, the decline in lethality, and really what the military should get back instead of pushing woke ideologies.
This idea that somehow your taxpayer dollars should be forced to pay for transitioning members, which should be the exact opposite with the DOD.
He was addressing how to fix the core problem and to make our country respected and really our military feared again on the world stage, which is essentially the whole idea of peace through strength.
But they didn't want to discuss that.
They wanted to go with very personal, nasty attacks.
And so I would say that not only does it undermine Keynes'credibility as a senator, but I'm definitely glad that Hillary Clinton lost because I couldn't imagine someone in that position of power as vice president.
Him and J.D. Vance are two very, very different candidates for office.
We're excited about that.
benny johnson
Yeah, it's amazing when given an opportunity to talk, who turns out to actually be the creepy weirdo obsessed with somebody else's sex life.
It's Tim Kaine.
And yeah, Pete Hegseth coming off great in this hearing, with the exception of a couple of disruptions, which I think I saw you say that these protesters were invited in, they were allowed to stay, and they were invited by Democrats to sit there and disrupt the hearing.
Were you near them?
Did you see this?
anna paulina luna
I was actually there at the very beginning for a couple hours, and then I came back towards the end because we had to go vote.
But you actually, I think in that clip that's going viral of the Code Pink people, which were the ones that were holding those signs, I was actually standing off.
And so you can see me there.
They were trying to talk to you.
You can see the back of me, actually.
I'm turned away.
In that photo.
But what's interesting is, yeah, I'm right there.
Those people actually were sitting in some of these Senate-designated guest seats.
And so it's interesting who gave them tickets.
But then also, too, I had actually brought in a poster that my staffer had placed in the back that actually had Elizabeth Warren's college application that checked her as being Native American.
And they would not allow me to bring that in.
And yet these people were literally allowed to stand there, hold up the signs, keep it up.
Very interesting.
They wouldn't let me hold my poster, which my poster was way better, but they allowed these crazy, you know, no Christian jihad.
I mean...
My goodness, these people were screaming, you know, we want peace in the Middle East, which who doesn't want peace?
But then they're also advocating against Pete Hegseth and then invited in by senators to hold signs and disrupt.
So the whole thing, as you can see, was political propaganda.
The media also didn't cover the fact that there was over 500 veterans, unless it was a conservative outlet.
They didn't want to cover that.
There was Navy SEALs, there was Green Berets, there was female veterans, and they're supporting Hegseth, but they didn't want to cover that.
They wanted to cover the crazies.
benny johnson
I know we're up against a hard out, but you were going to hold up Elizabeth Warren.
Warren's Native American tick of the box.
anna paulina luna
I posted it and I sent it to my team.
I said, please print this.
Let's get it.
And then, you know, the staff from the president's team was joking around about my sign being, they confiscated it, which is kind of funny.
But they allowed the crazy people.
So next time what I'm doing is I'm just going to fold it up, put it in my purse, and then I'll just get it.
benny johnson
In closing here.
In closing here, you noted how many combat veterans were there.
You yourself, a veteran.
Why do veterans love and support Pete so much?
Take it away.
anna paulina luna
Yeah, look, I'm not a combat veteran, but I did serve in times of combat.
And what I will tell you is that whether or not you served in combat, the true marker of a good leader is one that not only takes into account the impacts of their decision throughout every rank, whether it's officer or enlisted, but specifically with Pete Hegset.
He would be one of the few Secretary of Defenses that has actually served in combat and understands the true impact of his decision-making process and how really it does come down to life and death.
You know, what was interesting is during his entire defense of himself, and really that's what it was, trying to get his perspective and I think what he envisioned for the U.S. military out there amidst the smear campaign that some of these senators were launching, is that he wants to get back to the strong culture that the military represents.
I can tell you is I don't remember a time of it being political.
Now it seems like if you are in the military, you're only given higher ranks if you are left leaning and pushing a very pro-Marxist ideology.
And that cannot exist in a true free country.
And then also too, in a military that's strong.
And so I really look forward to his confirmation.
We did hear that he does have the vote.
It's terrible that he had to go through the process, but Pete's a great guy, a family man, seven kids and his beautiful wife.
I deserve supporting him.
So we're happy that he really did well under fire, metaphorically, and we look forward to his confirmation.
benny johnson
Oh, that's awesome.
I know you have to go, but he has the votes.
That's what you've been told.
Mark Wayne Mullen told us that a couple of minutes ago.
anna paulina luna
I also heard Senator Scott saying that he has the votes as well.
And so I just implore people to listen to his arguments.
Don't look at the smears, because we've all been smeared, even you have, Benny.
And I think that that's unfortunately the name of the game.
benny johnson
Yeah, on a constant, daily, hour-by-hour basis.
And it's like, dude, if nobody is attacking you, then you're not doing anything right.
I mean, you've got to buckle up.
Because this is war.
This is actually war.
And we are thankful that there are warfighters that support Pete.
You're one of them.
We'd have a better Congress, I think, if more people that served in our military actually served in Congress.
You're one of those excellent people.
Everybody needs to follow Anna Paulina Luna right here.
And buy her Maxim magazine.
Something I've never said on this program.
anna paulina luna
Thanks, Benny.
benny johnson
Yes.
unidentified
Godspeed, Tom.
you you Crazy.
benny johnson
Okay.
Ladies and gentlemen, we signal boosted a meme and I would never do a meme rug pull on you.
So here we go, ladies and gentlemen.
Just the meme that I was...
Is this a play beside?
As a play beside?
Okay.
Here we go.
This is what I was calling for.
unidentified
Oh my god, bro.
benny johnson
Just, oh my, oh my god, bro.
unidentified
APL posted this?
Okay, here's what APL posted.
benny johnson
Defense Secretary Biden versus Trump.
43 Republican senators voted to confirm Secretary Lloyd Austin and his woke agenda.
Lloyd Austin got 90 votes in the Senate.
So, yeah.
Ladies and gentlemen, you're going to catch yourself a primary if you dare vote against President Trump.
All we need is 50 plus 1. We have the Vice President for the tie-breaking vote, and hopefully the vote will be on January 20. Wouldn't that be great?
To have it actually on the day that President Trump is inaugurated.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, as you well know, we have some...
We have some very, very interesting programming for you tomorrow.
We're going to be having Chrissy Noem, Pam Bondi.
That's probably the one that we're going to cover, Pam Bondi.
Marco Rubio is going to be very interesting.
John Ratcliffe, CIA director.
That's going to be good too.
I don't know.
We're going to have to do a poll.
Sean Duffy, Chris Wright, Russell Vaught, Office of Budget and Management.
All of these are going to be very, very good.
I think Pam Bondi is going to be just absolutely banging though.
I think that's going to be good.
So expect us live early tomorrow around 9 a.m.
Unless we have a new baby, which may in fact be the case in the Johnson family.
We're going to have to go and check.
So as I've told you many times, my wife is full term now.
And so at any moment, we could get the phone call and we will check in quickly and see, ladies and gentlemen.
What's going on?
You saw me pause there for a second.
I thought I got the phone call.
We didn't get the phone call yet, but we are in a holding pattern, as ever.
So, ladies and gentlemen, we just want to say thank you for watching this five, no, six-hour live.
Holy moly.
Just an incredible live and a verse of the day, of course.
Can't stop, won't stop.
From Galatians 6.9, let us not become weary in doing good.
For at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Ooh, could you imagine what Pete Hegseth has gone through?
These people going through every bank statement, every text you've ever sent, your mom's emails, how they even got that, nobody even knows.
Your mother's emails from 10 years ago are printed on the front page of the New York Times.
Oh, these people are scum!
Oh, they're such scum.
Ladies and gentlemen, let us not become weary in doing good.
Pete Hegseth has a heart of gold.
He wants to do good for the service members.
At a proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Don't give up.
Fight with us.
March in our army, our brigade.
You can join the brigade, if you wish, at BennyJohnson.com.
Sign up for the brigade, ladies and gentlemen, and get exclusive access to our content early.
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Also, you can sign up for memberships on YouTube and on Rumble, wherever you wish to support us.
If you're happy with those platforms, then all the more the merrier.
We are thankful for you in any way that you consume and watch our content.
We are 100% independent, unlike a bunch of other various entities out there.
Who get directions and orders, right, to attack and go after independent creators.
Ladies and gentlemen, we answer to no one.
So we can kindly say we apologize for absolutely nothing.
And we are so proud of the work that we do here on this program.
And we're so thankful for you.
And so may God bless you.
March with us.
On to victory.
Pete Hegseth in the chair!
Let's go.
It's your boy, Benny.
See ya.
peter doocy
When you found out that the FBI had located even more classified materials in Wilmington, which four-letter word did you use?
unidentified
Oh my goodness, Peter.
Let's say one last dance, right?
I don't know how I'm gonna fill my my dance card now.
How will I fill that void without you?
You told me!
You told me!
Ah!
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