When the duty came, we both felt it was an honor to answer. In different wars, under different commanders in chief and defense secretaries, each of us packed our bags, laced up our boots and sent them off to the Middle East – on combat missions over Iraq, because we believed in our country and, above all, because we believed in the military and civilian leaders who demanded sacrifice from us.

At any given time, many of the 1.3 million active-duty U.S. troops stationed around the world are taking enormous risks in service to our country. They may be flying a training mission over Texas. They may be flying a combat mission against ISIS. They may be standing guard at the border with North Korea. For each of them there is a spouse, a child, parents, brothers and sisters praying for their safety.

Anyone who has worn the flag on their uniform knows the risks and sacrifices our troops and their families make. It is a system based on discipline, training and trust. Trust the people next to you in the cockpit. Trust your manager. And trust right up the organizational chart, including in the Minister of Defense.

Secretary of Defense is one of the greatest jobs in the world: an indispensable civilian checkpoint at the top of our military apparatus. This week, the Senate Armed Services Committee, of which we serve, will hold a confirmation hearing for President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to fill the position, Pete Hegseth.

Our responsibility is to ensure that the person given this job has the experience and judgment necessary to enter the company of cadets or foreign military leaders and earn their respect and trust. It has to be someone who can deal with bureaucracy – and not let it manage them. It needs to be someone who not only has real ideas about how we can use our resources to best address the threats we face around the world, but who can also quickly and effectively put those ideas into action. It needs to be someone capable of managing any budget, let alone a budget of more than $800 billion. Who can plan and execute complex multi-domain missions that keep our nation safe? and who has proven himself capable and worthy of leading our service members who demand so little despite risking so much.

From what we know, it is extremely unclear whether Mr. Hegseth is this person.

A quick look at his CV and concerns about his lack of experience and qualifications become clear.

Mr. Hegseth likes to talk about how the U.S. military is the ultimate meritocracy. We agree. So let’s talk about his merits for this job: While we respect his service in the Army Reserves and National Guard, he has not risen to a leadership position where he learns management, joint force operations, logistics and other skills relevant to the role He’s awake for now. He never commanded a task force or a department — nowhere near as large or extensive as the 3 million people who make up the Defense Department.

This military experience is not a requirement for the job, but his civilian leadership experience is not only limited but also full of evidence that he is not an effective or trustworthy leader. He mismanaged two former political organizations financially. His co-workers alleged he misused funds, was frequently drunk in front of them and created an environment where sexual harassment was an issue. He spent the last seven years as an anchor at Fox News, where his drinking also raised concerns among his colleagues. We wouldn’t tolerate this kind of reckless behavior from recruits – there is absolutely no reason why we should tolerate it from the man who is supposed to be their leader.

Mr. Hegseth will have the opportunity to respond to all of these questions at his confirmation hearing, as well as the opportunity to express what views, if any, he has on the critical programs and decisions awaiting the next person in this position. The only defense policy he has expressed so far is his belief that the diversity of our military is a weakness, not a strength, and that women should not serve in combat. These positions are not only wrong, they are dangerous, and they make us question whether Mr. Hegseth understands what makes our military the deadliest fighting force in the world. Without the 225,000 female military personnel in our ranks, war simply would not be possible. And honestly, Mr. Hegseth, these women have proven that they are capable of handling the jobs they deserve while you still have a lot of work to do.

The reality is that the world is too dangerous and the lives of our service members are too precious to lower the bar. Those in uniform today deserve a strategic, experienced and well-qualified leader who they know has their back – and who has what it takes to prepare and equip them to win every battle they face .

This week, Mr. Hegseth has the opportunity to show us and the American people whether he meets this fundamental standard.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, is a retired U.S. Navy captain who served in Operation Desert Storm. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., is a retired U.S. Army National Guard lieutenant colonel who participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom.