In a scathing rebuke, Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth labeled Pete Hegseth’s stance against women serving in combat roles as “flat-out wrong.” Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, has ignited a firestorm of controversy with his hardline views on gender roles in the military.
As a decorated combat veteran who lost both legs when her Black Hawk helicopter was shot down over Iraq in 2004, Duckworth speaks from firsthand experience. Appearing on Face the Nation, the senator from Illinois passionately declared, “Frankly, America’s daughters are just as capable of defending liberty and freedom as her sons.”
Hegseth’s Contentious Comments Spark Outrage
Hegseth, a former Fox News host, recently argued for rolling back hard-fought gains in military gender equality. In a podcast, he bluntly stated, “I’m straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles. It hasn’t made us more effective. Hasn’t made us more lethal. Has made fighting more complicated.”
His remarks fly in the face of the 2015 decision to open all combat jobs to women who meet the rigorous standards. Despite formal barriers, women have been fighting and dying on the front lines in substantial numbers throughout the post-9/11 wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Duckworth: Women Vital to Military Effectiveness
Duckworth, who now uses a wheelchair due to her combat injuries, minced no words in her CNN appearance. “Our military could not go to war without its 223,000 women who serve in uniform,” she asserted. The senator highlighted how women have expanded into the infantry and elite special forces like the Navy SEALs in recent years.
“Women in our military does make us more effective, does make us more lethal. He’s been out there saying women are not as strong [but] the ones who are in those roles have met the same standards as the men and have passed the very rigorous testing. So he’s just flat out wrong.”
Senator Tammy Duckworth
Hegseth’s Qualifications and Character Under Fire
Beyond his inflammatory rhetoric on women, Hegseth’s fitness for the immense responsibility of defense secretary has come under intense scrutiny. Duckworth pointed out his limited military experience, having only commanded a platoon, the smallest unit in the army.
Perhaps even more concerning are the sexual assault allegations that plagued Hegseth in 2017. According to sources close to the situation, he was the subject of an investigation and reportedly paid off his accuser to secure a non-disclosure agreement, although Hegseth maintains the encounter was consensual.
Duckworth expressed hope that the Senate Armed Services Committee, on which she serves, would call the alleged victim to testify during the confirmation process. However, she voiced skepticism that the Republican-led committee would have the backbone to stand up to Trump on such a divisive nomination.
Military’s #MeToo Moment at Risk?
The U.S. military has grappled with an epidemic of sexual trauma in its ranks for years, fighting to overhaul a culture of abuse and impunity. Reforms to prevent assaults, support survivors, and hold perpetrators accountable have been hard-won but remain fragile.
“Remember we have just fought over a decade of fights and overhauled the military in its treatment of sexual trauma, it’s frankly an insult and really troubling that Mr. Trump would nominate someone who has admitted he paid off a victim who has claimed rape allegations against him. This is not someone who you want to lead the department of defense.”
Senator Tammy Duckworth
As the battle lines are drawn, Hegseth’s nomination threatens to reignite the military’s #MeToo moment. His anachronistic views on women in combat, coupled with the unresolved sexual misconduct claims against him, make Hegseth a lightning rod as he seeks to take the helm at the Pentagon.
While the final chapter has yet to be written, one thing is abundantly clear – Senator Tammy Duckworth has emerged as a formidable force, drawing on her own harrowing combat experience to passionately advocate for women’s rightful place on the battlefield and in the upper echelons of military leadership. As Hegseth’s contentious nomination process unfolds, Duckworth’s voice will undoubtedly echo through the halls of power, amplifying the rallying cry of generations of servicewomen: We belong, we fight, we lead.
