Stridende kvinner - Lloyd Austin sier i mot Pete Hegseth - DefenseNews

 

 

Women in combat ‘proficient,’ SecDef says, dismissing calls for change

 

By Leo Shane III and Noah Robertson

 Nov 20, 2024, 05:08 PM

 

Marines assigned to a female engagement team conduct a security patrol in Marjah, Helmand province, Afghanistan, January 2011. (Cpl. Marionne T. Mangrum/Marine Corps)

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday defended women in the military and their eligibility for combat roles, calling them “very courageous and very proficient” in their service to the country.

“I think our women add significant value to the United States military, and we should never change that,” he said during a meeting with reporters during a stop in Laos. “[They] add value to the finest and most lethal fighting force on Earth.”

Austin’s comments were prompted by questions about his potential replacement, Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, who has publicly stated that women do not belong in military combat roles.

President-elect Donald Trump nominated Hegseth, a National Guard veteran and Fox News host, for the top civilian military post on Nov. 12.

In an interview on the Shawn Ryan podcast just five days before his nomination, Hegseth said that “everything about men and women serving together makes the situation more complicated, and complication in combat means casualties are worse.”

“I’m straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles,” Hegseth added. “It hasn’t made us more effective, hasn’t made us more lethal. It has made fighting more complicated.”