Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Pentagon, is set to testify that “politics should play no part in military matters” in his opening statement before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.
“In pursuing these America First national security goals, we will remain patriotically a-political and stridently Constitutional,” Hegseth is prepared to say, according to a copy of his opening statement obtained by the Washington Examiner.
“Unlike the current administration, politics should play no part in military matters. We are not Republicans or Democrats—we are American warriors,” he adds.
The Army National Guard veteran and former Fox News Channel weekend host is set to reflect on his military background, serving in “Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, Afghanistan, and in the streets of Washington, DC.” The 44-year old will also acknowledge his biography does not resemble those of the most Defense Secretaries that have served prior administrations, but vowed to be “a change agent.”
Hegseth has argued prior to his nomination that women should not serve in combat roles, against diversity and inclusion efforts, which are expected to be issues the Democrats on the committee are expected to question him on.
“It is true 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?,” Hegseth asks rhetorically.
“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,” he adds.
In his testimony, Hegseth echoes Trump’s “America First,” more isolationist-centered global agenda, vowing his only special interest is “the war fighter” and “deterring wars, and if called upon winning wars.”
Trump’s highly scrutinized nominee does not mention his past indiscretions that have characterized his nomination thus far. In his comments before the committee on Tuesday, he’ll be forced to publicly respond in detail for the first time.
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He is facing accusations of sexual assault stemming from a 2017 incident that he said was consensual. Hegseth was never charged in the case, but he later agreed to a settlement with the woman who had not been publicly been identified. He is also facing allegations involving alcohol abuse and claims that he mismanaged two conservative veterans’ groups.
However, Trump’s nominee has earned the support of some veterans’ groups that argue his past is not as critical as the work he’ll do to improve military readiness if he is confirmed.