In his book, Hegseth clearly says that some women are indeed the equal of men, and he himself has known many “phenomenal” female soldiers. The problem, as he sees it, is that woke ideologues require every woman to be regarded as being as successful as every man.

Pete Hegseth’s views on women in combat were a matter of public record long before the Senate heard his case to become Donald Trump’s Defense secretary. Women are “life-givers,” Hegseth wrote in his 2024 book,