VIENTIANE, Laos — Women and racial diversity are vital to the strength of U.S. armed forces, outgoing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in an exclusive interview with NBC News as he prepares to shortly exit the top military post after four years.
“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,” Austin said. “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.”
President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for defense secretary is Pete Hegseth, a former Army National Guard major whose past comments about women in combat have raised questions and concerns.
Hegseth said on a podcast released this month that the military “should not have women in combat roles” and that “men in those positions are more capable.”
Women made up 17.5% of the U.S. military’s active-duty force and 21.6% of the selected reserve in 2022, the Defense Department said in a report last November.
“They do impact readiness. They make us better. They make us stronger. And again, what I’ve seen from our women is quite incredible, and I’m not — this is not hyperbole. This is fact,” Austin said.
Hegseth has also said he wants the military to be purged of “woke” officials who support diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Austin said he would not speculate on what will happen, but he highlighted the role of diversity in the military and said it remains a meritocracy.
“We’re a diverse nation, and we’re going to remain a diverse nation. Our military is going to remain a diverse military,” Austin said.
Hegseth must still be confirmed by Senate, which will Republicans will control for the next two years, unless extraordinary circumstances like a recess appointment occur.
Austin did not weigh in on what he thinks about Trump’s choice of Hegseth.
“The president-elect has the opportunity to nominate anyone that he chooses for any position, and certainly, you know, we respect that,” Austin said.
Trump has also said he could try to deploy the military to help with his plans to conduct mass deportations of people living in the U.S. without authorization. Asked in a Time magazine interview in April whether his plan included using the military, Trump responded that “it would.”
Austin would not comment on what Trump’s plans or intentions may be, but he said the law is “well-defined” in terms of “how we…
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