Trump Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth on Tuesday walked back his previous statements about women serving in select military combat roles during his Senate confirmation hearing.
"I'm straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles," Hegseth said during a podcast hosted by Shawn Ryan in November of last year.
Hegseth has emphasized in previous interviews and his book that he believes men and women should not serve in the same combat units. The Pentagon has allowed women to serve in all combat roles for almost ten years.
During questioning by Republican Sen. Joni Ernst during the hearing, the former Fox News co-host maintained a different view.
"Yes, women will have access to ground combat roles given the standards remain high, and we'll have a review to ensure the standards have not been eroded in any one of these cases," President-elect Trump's pick for defense secretary said.
"That'll be part of one of the first things we do at the Pentagon, is reviewing that, in a gender-neutral way, the standards ensuring readiness and meritocracy is front and center," Hegseth added.
