Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin endorses women in combat jobs, exhorts West Point cadets to defend the Constitution
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III used a speech at West Point to forcefully endorse having women in combat roles and emphasize the military’s obligation to defend the U.S. Constitution — ideals some fear may come under fire in the upcoming Trump administration.
Speaking Wednesday to cadets at the U.S. Military Academy in New York, he recalled commanding troops during the early days of the invasion of Iraq in 2003. He said he wanted to keep his command post at the front where he could see the fight, but he told his soldiers that the risks were serious and that any of them could stay back and no one would think less of them.
It was one of the women, he said, who was the first to challenge him on it.
“In no uncertain terms, they were telling me to stop talking and get to the fight. And that is who the women of the United States military are,” Austin said.
President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has reignited a debate that many thought was settled long ago.
His remarks are in contrast to some made by the man President-elect Donald Trump has tapped to be Austin’s successor to lead the Pentagon. Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News co-host and former Army National Guard soldier, has made it clear that he believes men and women should not serve together in combat units.
A month ago, he told podcast host Shawn Ryan that, “I’m straight-up just saying we should not have women in combat roles. It hasn’t made us more effective. Hasn’t made us more lethal. Has made fighting more complicated.”
Austin, a retired four-star general who has spent more than 40 years in the Army and commanded at every level, challenged that view, saying he’s seen very capable and brave women fighting for their country in battle.
“So look, if I get a little fired up about this, it’s just because this isn’t 1950. It isn’t 1948. It is 2024,” said Austin. “And any military that turns away tough, talented patriots — women or men — is just making itself weaker and smaller. So enough already.”
President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has been outspoken about his opinion that women shouldn’t serve in combat roles.
While never mentioning Trump, Hegseth or the incoming administration, Austin also admonished the cadets to remember their sworn duty to defend the Constitution.
His remarks echoed others who have warned about the potential for Trump to try to use active-duty military troops to police the southern border, deport immigrants who don’t have legal permanent status, and even on city streets to combat urban crime. And through his campaign, Trump has renewed his pledge to deploy troops within the U.S. when he deems it necessary.
During his first term, as riots against police brutality and racial injustice roiled the nation, Trump pushed to deploy military personnel on the streets of Washington, D.C. Top military officers, such as then-Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark A. Milley, resisted those plans, including issuing a memo that stressed that every member of the military “swears an oath to support and defend the Constitution and the values embedded within it.”
“We defend government of the people, by the people, and for the people — and we do not bend on matters of honor, integrity or law,” Austin said at West Point. “We are here to protect our people, to defend our country and to uphold our Constitution. And that is not negotiable.”
Baldor writes for the Associated Press.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
