At a aggressive House Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday, defense minister Pete Hegseth claimed the Pentagon has emergency plans to invade Greenland and Panama. He later appeared to be under intense scrutiny. Additionally, he declined to respond directly about his use of secured Signal chats to discuss defense operations, which sparked bipartisan concern about potential protocol breaches. In response to Rep. Adam Smith’s (D-Wash. ) pointed question about whether the Pentagon had invasion plans for Greenland or Panama, Hegseth responded,” Our job at the Defense Department is to have plans for any contingency,” Hegseth said. Hegseth’s vague responses, which the Pentagon is expected to do, sparked a sharp rebuke from Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio ), who rebuffed his assertions,” We look forward to working with Greenland to ensure that it is secured from any potential threats.” He was questioned by law enforcement about his disclosure of classified information, but he vehemently declined to respond. Hegseth said,” What’s no classified is that it was an amazing, successful mission,” which caused even more controversy. Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass. ) Hegseth, a Marine veteran, was asked about his responsibilities in the challenge of “holding yourself responsible if the Inspector General discovers that you leaked classified information.” Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif. ) told Hegseth, “You’re an embarrassment to this country,” in one of the hearing’s most contentious moments. You are incapable of leading. You should really “get the devil out,” Hegseth said,” I’m happy to take the bolts” in the name of making what he called tricky choices. Republican lawmakers defended him, criticizing what they called “flagrant disrespect.” Following a recent campaign-style discourse by former president Donald Trump at Fort Bragg, where armed soldiers were seen cheering and booing political critics and selling MAGA product outside, lawmakers also raised questions about the politicisation of the defense. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, stated to the committee that he was aware of any breaches, reaffirming the requirement for service members to remain unbiased. Hegseth was further questioned about his views on women and trans soldiers. He defended cutting down on diversity initiatives and claimed he wanted the “most ready troops,” but he omitted any specifics regarding gender equality in combat roles. He continued,” It depends on the context,” arguing that girls” carry a backpack differently.”
