US Senator and Army Veteran Tammy Duckworth Criticized Pete HegsethPresident Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, for her views on women serving in combat roles.
Duckworth, Democrat of Illinois, and A A combat veteran who lost both legs in a helicopter crash in Iraq, appeared on CBS News’ Face the Nation on Sunday. She argued that HegsethThe Army veteran and former Fox News host was ineligible for the position because of his stance on women in the military.
“Mr. Hegseth is not qualified for this position because he does not understand, apparently, even after serving, that women are very important to an effective military,” Duckworth said.
He stressed the crucial role of women in the military, especially amid the current recruitment challenges.
“With the recruiting challenges we have right now, if we take all those women out and say you can’t go into combat, we’re going to have a serious personnel crisis in the military,” she added.
Duckworth also criticized Hegseth’s low rank during his service, saying, “He was a very low-ranking man in the army, and never held a command position… He was a platoon leader, I think, one or two times, but he never even commanded a company. This is a man unfit for office.”
Duckworth retired as a lieutenant colonel after becoming the first woman to fly a combat mission during the Iraq War. Hegseth, on the other hand, retired as a major.
Hegseth previously said on the podcast that Women in combat roles Claiming that the military would not benefit, “everything about men and women serving together complicates the situation, and complicity in combat means that casualties are worse. I am saying directly that we should not have women in combat roles.” Shouldn’t – it hasn’t made us more effective, made us more lethal, and made the fight more complicated.”
Hegseth has faced controversies, including a past sexual assault allegation, which he settled in a civil case denying any wrongdoing, and claims that he has an archetypal tattoo on his bicep.