Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin rebuked an argument from his possible successor, Pete Hegseth, that women should not be in combat while addressing West Point cadets.
“It isn’t 1948. It is 2024,” Austin told the cadets on Wednesday, seemingly referencing the year President Harry Truman banned segregation in the armed forces.
“We need each and every qualified citizen who steps up to wear the cloth of our nation. And any military that turns away tough, talented patriots — women or men — is just making itself weaker and smaller,” he added. “So enough already.”
President-elect Donald Trump tapped Hegseth, the former Fox News host and an Army veteran, to lead the Department of Defense, but it’s unclear whether he will have the necessary support from the Senate to get confirmed, given questions about his past behavior.
He was accused of sexual assault in 2017 for an encounter he maintains was consensual, though years later, he agreed to a settlement ahead of a possible lawsuit. Hegseth was never charged in connection to the incident. Separately, he has faced allegations of mismanaging funds at two veteran-focused non-profits and of abusing alcohol, claims he also denies.
Hegseth had made his positions in the department in the weeks prior to his nomination, including saying that he did not believe women should be in combat roles.
“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,” Hegseth said on a podcast in November.
He said he believes women have a role in the military but not in special operations, artillery, infantry, and armor units.
Austin did not mention Hegseth by name during his address to cadets, but he spoke at length about his three tours in Iraq, during which he touted the female soldiers he encountered. He also served one term in Afghanistan.
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“They were facing the same dangers as the men,” Austin said, referencing the 2003 U.S. advance to Baghdad. “In fact, they were facing more. And in no uncertain terms, they were telling me to stop talking and get to the fight. And that is who the women of the United States military are. And everywhere I’ve gone on a battlefield, I’ve seen women fighting for America.”
Hegseth and Austin also have opposing views on the importance of diversity in the military. Under Austin, the department has emphasized diversity and inclusion, while Hegseth — and many other Republicans — believe it is to the detriment of the armed forces.