Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth sought to clarify his stance on women in the military during a Fox News appearance on Monday, calling female service members “some of our greatest warriors,” nearly a month after controversial comments about women in combat roles drew widespread criticism.
The remarks on Fox News’ show Hannity represent Hegseth’s most direct attempt to address the controversy that erupted shortly after President-elect Donald Trump nominated him to lead the Pentagon earlier this month.
“I also want an opportunity to clarify comments that have been misconstrued that I somehow don’t support women in the military,” Hegseth said. “Some of our greatest warriors, our best warriors are women who served, raised their right hand to serve this country and love our nation and want to defend that flag and they do it every single day around the globe.”
The clarification comes as Hegseth, a military veteran and former Fox News host, faces mounting scrutiny over remarks he made on The Shawn Ryan Show last month. During that appearance, which was meant to promote his book The War on Warriors, Hegseth stated: “I’m straight up just saying we shouldn’t have women in combat roles. It hasn’t made us more effective; it hasn’t made us more lethal, it has made fighting more complicated.”
Newsweek reached out to Hegseth’s press contact via email on Monday night for comment.
In the same podcast appearance, Hegseth had argued his position was about maintaining military unit standards, citing physiological differences between men and women. “Everybody knows, between bone density and lung capacity and muscle strength, men and women are just different,” he said at the time, while referencing a contested 2015 U.S. Marine Corps study about unit performance.
Hegseth’s nomination has drawn particular attention from Senator Joni Ernst, an Iowa Republican, and key member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Ernst is an advocate for military sexual assault prevention.
After multiple meetings with Hegseth throughout December, including two within the past week, Ernst expressed cautious optimism while stopping short of committing her support according to posts on X, formerly Twitter.
Following their most recent meeting on Monday, Ernst released a statement indicating their “encouraging conversations” included Hegseth’s pledge to support women within the military ranks and reinforce her legislation on military assault.
“Pete committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women — based on quality and standards, not quotas,” Ernst said.
The confirmation process faces additional hurdles beyond the controversy over women in combat roles. Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat, veteran and member of the Armed Services Committee, has voiced strong opposition, specifically questioning Hegseth’s qualifications to lead the Department of Defense.
Senate support for Hegseth’s confirmation hangs in a precarious balance. Given the incoming chamber’s makeup of 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats, unified Democratic opposition would mean just four GOP defections could doom his nomination.
A 50-50 deadlock would require Vice President-elect JD Vance to step in with a tie-breaking vote when confirmation hearings begin under Republican leadership next month.