Secretary Austin disagrees with Trump’s Pentagon decision regarding women in combat

After President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Pentagon chief, Pete Hegseth, said women should not serve in combat roles, current Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin offered his disapproval on Wednesday.

While Austin said he couldn’t speak specifically about Trump’s nominee, in reference to women in combat, he said: “I don’t know what his experience is, but I can tell you about my experiences with women in the military and women in combat, and they are quite good.

Austin has led the Pentagon since January 22, 2021, two days after President Joe Biden was inaugurated. He also served as commander of U.S. Central Command, deputy chief of staff of the Army, and director of the Joint Staff.

“I think our women add significant value to the United States military and we should never change that, and if I had a message to answer your question to our women, I would tell them we need you, we have faith in you, we appreciate your services and added value for the best and deadliest fighting force on earth.

On November 7, between Trump’s election victory and President-elect Hegseth’s announcement as Secretary of Defense, Hegseth commented on the Shawn Ryan Show podcast that women should not be in combat roles.

“I say right away that we should not employ women in combat roles. This did not increase our efficiency. It didn’t make us more deadly. This made the fight more complicated,” he said.

Hegseth added that women should be able to serve in non-combat roles in the military.

Hegseth has served in the National Guard since 2003. He served with his unit at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, volunteered to serve in Iraq, and deployed to Afghanistan. He currently holds the rank of major.