Summary
Female veterans and service members are condemning Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth’s comments opposing women in combat roles, calling them outdated and harmful.
Hegseth claimed women in combat complicate military effectiveness, despite decades of evidence proving their competence, including service in Iraq and Afghanistan, where over 300,000 women served, with 179 killed and over 1,000 wounded.
Critics, including Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a Purple Heart recipient, argue Hegseth’s views ignore the realities of modern warfare.
His nomination has sparked backlash, further amplified by past allegations of sexual misconduct.
I feel this argument has merit:
That Trump is rewarding loyalty with little consequence to himself and at the same time testing senators to see who will fall in line. That also has the effect of making many fall in line (see Dictatoring for Dummies, P. 14). At the same time he gets to soften up the senate for candidates who are almost as outrageous but will seem reasonable in comparison.