Hegseth faces more grilling from Congress as Iran-Israel conflict escalates

WASHINGTON -- WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is returning to Capitol Hill connected Wednesday for the past successful a series of often combative hearings earlier lawmakers, who person pressed him connected everything from a prohibition connected transgender troops to his use of a Signal chat to stock delicate subject plans.

The questions — which besides person touched connected his firings of apical subject leaders and adjacent immoderate of his interior ellipse of advisers — whitethorn beryllium dominated by the escalation of airstrikes betwixt Iran and Israel that endanger a perchance devastating determination war. But helium is inactive expected to look crisp questions astir his chaotic tenure, his absorption to women successful combat jobs and efforts to displacement backing from unit lodging to borderline security.

The U.S. has shifted important numbers of refueling tanker and combatant craft to presumption them to beryllium capable to respond if needed to the conflict, specified arsenic imaginable evacuations oregon airstrikes. Hegseth said this week that was done to support U.S. unit and airbases.

“We are postured defensively successful the portion to beryllium beardown successful pursuit of a bid deal. And we surely anticipation that’s what happens here," helium told Fox News Channel. “And America archetypal means we’re going to support American unit and American interests.”

Hegseth's grounds past week successful 3 legislature hearings besides was taken implicit by events, with the Trump medication dispatching the National Guard and 700 active-duty Marines to the protests successful Los Angeles against California Gov. Gavin Newsom's wishes. It came conscionable up of a massive subject parade to observe the Army's 250th birthday, which coincided with President Donald Trump's birthday.

In the erstwhile hearings — wherever Hegseth was appearing to sermon the Pentagon's spending program — lawmakers made it wide they are unhappy that Hegseth has not provided afloat details connected the administration’s archetypal projected defence budget.

Trump has said it would full $1 trillion, a important summation implicit the existent spending level of much than $800 billion.

Hegseth, who is appearing earlier the Senate Armed Services Committee connected Wednesday, has spent immense amounts of clip during his archetypal months successful bureau promoting the social changes he’s making astatine the Pentagon. He’s been acold little disposable successful the administration’s much captious planetary information crises and negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza and Iran.

For example, Hegseth directed the renaming of a Navy ship that had honored Harvey Milk, a slain cheery rights activistic who served arsenic a sailor during the Korean War. He besides has touted different moves to eradicate diversity, equity and inclusion programs and said a ban connected transgender troops successful the military was a mode to regain the “warrior ethos.”

It volition beryllium Hegseth's archetypal clip earlier immoderate senators since helium squeaked done his Senate confirmation with a tie-breaking vote. It was the closest ballot of immoderate Trump Cabinet member.

While helium has talked a batch astir making the subject much lethal, it was his usage of the unclassified, unsecured Signal messaging app that rapidly caught nationalist attention.

Set up by then-national information advisor Mike Waltz, a radical chat that included Hegseth and different elder medication leaders was utilized to share accusation astir upcoming subject strikes against Houthi rebels successful Yemen.

The chat came to airy due to the fact that the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, was inadvertently added to it. Waltz took work for the gaffe, but Hegseth was roundly criticized for sharing details astir the subject strikes successful that chat and successful different 1 that included his woman and brother.

The Pentagon's watchdog is looking into Hegseth's usage of Signal and expected to contented a study soon.