{"id":2371189,"date":"2024-11-20T11:00:14","date_gmt":"2024-11-20T16:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/austin-takes-veiled-swipe-at-hegseth-with-claim-that-military-women-make-us-stronger-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-11-20T11:02:43","modified_gmt":"2024-11-20T16:02:43","slug":"austin-takes-veiled-swipe-at-hegseth-with-claim-that-military-women-make-us-stronger-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/austin-takes-veiled-swipe-at-hegseth-with-claim-that-military-women-make-us-stronger-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin takes veiled swipe at Hegseth with claim that military women \u2018make us stronger\u2019 &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Faustin-takes-veiled-swipe-at-hegseth-with-claim-that-military-women-make-us-stronger-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2371189&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In a \u200brecent interview with NBC \u2064News, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin defended the role of women in the military, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">directly countering comments made<\/a> by Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump&#8217;s pick for the\u200b Secretary of Defense, who suggested that women should not serve in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/aclu-presses-supreme-court-to-end-men-only-draft\/\" title=\"ACLU Presses Supreme Court to End Men-Only Draft\">combat roles<\/a>. Austin, \u200cwho \u2064is\u2063 expected to leave his position soon, emphasized that\u200b his 41 \u200cyears of military experience, including multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, included women serving alongside him. He asserted that women contribute to the strength of military formations, highlighting their importance within the armed forces.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Austin takes veiled swipe at Hegseth with claim that military women &lsquo;make us stronger&rsquo;<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1882921\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Defense Secretary <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lloyd-austin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Lloyd Austin<\/a> rebutted comments made by <span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">President-el<\/span>ect Donald Trump&rsquo;s pick for the new secretary of Defense, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pete-hegseth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Pete Hegseth<\/a>, that women <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3230153\/duckworth-defends-women-in-combat-hegseth-calls-issue-complicated\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"should not serve\">should not serve<\/a> combat roles in the military.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Austin gave what is expected to be his final television interview as secretary to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/military\/defense-secretary-austin-says-women-military-make-us-stronger-rcna180937\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"NBC News\">NBC News<\/a>, which will air Wednesday. Hegseth, who recently left his position at Fox News, is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/3228033\/trump-pick-fox-news-pete-hegseth-secretary-defense\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">former infantry major <\/a>in the Army National Guard and was awarded two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman Badge.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I have spent 41 years in uniform, three long tours in Iraq, one in Afghanistan, and everywhere I went on a battlefield, there were women in our formation,&rdquo; Austin told the outlet. &ldquo;I would tell you that, you know, our women are the finest troops in the world. Quite frankly, some of the finest in the world.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Hegseth makes an argument against women in combat roles in his latest book, <em>The War on Warriors<\/em>. He explained on <em>the Shawn Ryan Show<\/em> podcast that the inclusion of women in combat &ldquo;hasn&rsquo;t made us more effective, hasn&rsquo;t made us more lethal, has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-joint-chiefs-said-global-warming-is-greatest-physical-threat-facing-america\/\" title=\"Biden: Joint Chiefs Said Global Warming Is \u2018Greatest Physical Threat\u2019 Facing America\">made fighting<\/a> more complicated.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They do impact readiness. They make us better. They make us stronger,&rdquo; Austin said of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/americas-rainbow-military-is-on-track-to-lose-another-major-war\/\" title=\"US Military&#039;s Diversity Poses Risk in Future Conflicts\">female military members<\/a>. &ldquo;And again, what I&rsquo;ve seen from our women is quite incredible, and I&rsquo;m not &mdash; this is not hyperbole. This is fact.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, women have increasingly joined the military at a slow rate. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defense.gov\/News\/Releases\/Release\/Article\/3580676\/defense-department-report-shows-decline-in-armed-forces-population-while-percen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"DOD report\">Department of Defense report<\/a> from 2023 reported that 17.5% of its force was female, which was slightly more than in 2021. At the same time, total service members decreased by 2.7%.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1882921\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1882921\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Austin defends military women, counters Hegseth&#8217;s claims<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2631,"featured_media":2371190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24081734565496.jpg.optimal.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[9230,45173,45369,10807,32076],"class_list":["post-2371189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-austin","tag-hegseth","tag-military-women","tag-strength","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24081734565496.jpg.optimal.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2371189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2631"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2371189"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2371189\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2371193,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2371189\/revisions\/2371193"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2371190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2371189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2371189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2371189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}