A senator told Hegseth: "I suggest you do a little homework before you prepare for these types of negotiations."

WASHINGTON—Allegations that surfaced this week of alcohol abuse and erratic behavior by Pete Hegseth, President Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, are adding to the uncertainty surrounding his confirmation vote Friday,

Sen. Blumenthal grilled SecDef nominee Pete Hegseth on his qualifications despite reaffirming current support for the job SecDef Lloyd Austin has done.

Hegseth wants to restore honor to Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg, the native North Carolinian whose name was replaced at Fort Bragg last year. | Opinion

When President Trump chose me for this position, the primary charge he gave me was — to bring the warrior culture back to the Department of Defense,” Pete Hegseth said in his confirmation

A telling moment in the supremely depressing Senate confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth, the Fox News personality who is Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, came right at the beginning, when the former Republican senator Norm Coleman introduced him.

Hegseth would not be the first defense secretary to have served in combat — far from it. An array of previous secretaries have had combat service, dodging bombs and leading troops into the fight, including current Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ...

A Navy submariner who said she was sexually assaulted multiple times. An Army major who chose to never report her assault. A Marine Corps sexual assault response coordinator who worries she is being discriminated against because she’s a woman. A former Defense Department sexual assault victim advocate of the year.

Wicker did not specify what day the vote would take place, but said it could be as late as next Thursday if Senate Democrats do not allow the chamber to speed up the confirmation process.

Democrats say Hegseth’s lack of experience, his past comments about women and Black troops and allegations of excessive drinking, and sexual misconduct, make him unfit to serve.

A cursory review of Hegseth’s background reveals he has little knowledge or experience of complex national security issues.

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, said in his Senate confirmation hearing that the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel were the direct result of President Biden’s 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.