Trump's defense pick might change who can fight in military combat roles
A new defense secretary nominee brings up old questions about mixed-gender combat units. His past statements hint at possible changes to decade-old Pentagon rules about women in combat
Pete Hegseth‚ ex-Fox News figure and Trumps pick for defense chief brings back a hot-button topic that many thought was done and dusted: mixed-gender combat teams in the military
The matter came up after looking into Hegseths past statements (which he wrote in his book and said during TV spots) where he doesnt support men and women fighting side-by-side in battle units. His views could shake-up rules that have been around since 2014-ish; these let women take any combat job they want
The whole thing depends on if the Senate gives him the thumbs-up – but if they do he might try to change things back to how they were pre-2015. Right now the military lets anyone who meets the standards join combat units regardless of gender; this policy has been working for about 10 years
The debate touches on some real-world stuff like:
- Combat unit performance standards
- Military readiness levels
- Team cohesion in battle situations
- Equal job chances for service members
- Physical fitness requirements
Women should not be in combat units with men
This nomination puts the Senate in a tricky spot – theyʼll need to think about how changing these rules might affect both military effectiveness and equal rights
