WASHINGTON— WASHINGTON (AP) — Pete Hegseth will try to convince members of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that he should become the next defense secretary after weeks of meetings with lawmakers who peppered him with questions about his character and views A number of topics overwhelmed military questions.

An author of several books and a former Fox News Channel host, Hegseth has been forced to defend himself against a long list of his own public comments, including in his latest book, “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who.” Keep Us Free .”

His wide-ranging opinions could shed light on how he might approach the top Pentagon job if confirmed. Sometimes he says he has been misinterpreted, but other times he has tried to soften his previously expressed views on controversial issues.

Here’s a look at Hegseth in his own words:

Hegseth, 44, an Army veteran who rose to the rank of major and fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, says he believes standards have fallen and that efforts to increase diversity, equity and inclusion have driven away white men .

In his latest book, he laments that “woke” generals and the heads of elite service academies have made the military dangerously weak and “effeminate” by promoting DEI. He says: “The next commander in chief has to clean up his act.”

“It turns out that all the ‘diversity’ recruiting messages made certain kids — white kids — feel unwanted,” he said in his book.

If confirmed, he said there would no longer be “social justice and politically correct approaches to the way we fight and fight wars.” Instead, he said, “This is about lethality, meritocracy and preparedness.”

And he has vowed to fire generals involved in “woke” programs.

Hegseth’s opposition – as expressed in his book and in interviews – was simple and direct before his nomination on November 12th. But faced with questions from Congress, he appears to have changed his tune.

“I am saying very clearly, we should not have women in combat roles. It didn’t make us more effective. Didn’t make us deadlier. “Made fighting more complicated,” he said on a Nov. 7 podcast hosted by Shawn Ryan.

Women have a place in the military, he said, just not in special forces, artillery, infantry and tank units.

In his book, he said that women performed well in dangerous support roles in war, but “women in the infantry – women in combat with purpose – are a different story.” He adds: “Women cannot physically meet the same standards like men.”

He said: “Fathers push us to take risks. Mothers put the training wheels on our bikes. We need mothers. But not in the military, especially not in combat units.”

His views angered some members of Congress.

When Hegseth was asked about this issue on The Megyn Kelly Show in early December, he said he was only concerned about maintaining military standards. Women serve in combat, he said, and “if we have the right standard and women meet that standard, Roger, let’s go.”

Hegseth was accused of sexually assaulting a woman he met at a conference in California in 2017. He denied this, saying it was consensual. No charges were filed.

He has admitted to paying compensation to his accuser, claiming he did so to head off a baseless lawsuit. “The matter has been fully investigated and I have been fully exonerated,” he said.

He has also admitted to several instances of infidelity, including the incident in California that occurred when he was divorcing his second wife after having a child with the woman who is now his current wife, Jennifer Rauchet.

He told Kelly that it was “not OK” to go into a hotel room with someone who wasn’t his wife and that he paid the settlement “to protect my wife.” I did it to protect mine to protect family. I did it to protect my job.

He said it was fair to call him a “serial cheater,” but he “was truly changed by Jen and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” and is a different man now.

Senators also raised concerns about reports of excessive alcohol consumption.

Hegseth has denied having a drinking problem and said publicly that he told MPs he would not drink as defense minister.

“I won’t drink at all,” he said, comparing it to following the Pentagon’s General Order No. 1, which prohibits troops from drinking while deployed.

He said that when service members come home from war, they often “drink a few beers.” But in the Kelly interview he emphasized: “I never had a drinking problem.”

Hegseth said the Pentagon overreacted by taking action to combat extremism and held leadership accountable for the military’s efforts to remove people it deemed white supremacists and violent extremists.

He wrote that the issue was “false” and described it as “spreading the lie of racism in the military.” He said efforts to eradicate extremism had “pushed ordinary patriots out of their formations.”

Hegseth was removed from the Washington National Guard during President Joe Biden’s inauguration after he was flagged as a possible “insider threat” by another military member because of a tattoo.

Hegseth said it was because of a Christian cross tattoo on his chest. But the Guard colleague, who was on a counterterrorism team at the time, shared with The Associated Press an email he sent to the unit’s leadership in which he pointed out another tattoo on Hegseth’s bicep, which is associated with white supremacist groups.

Shortly after President-elect Trump announced his nomination, Hegseth wrote on Pulled a trigger. Heard bullets whizzing by. Close air support requested. Led rescue operations. IEDs dodged.”

He said Trump told him, “I picked you because you’re the guy who puts fighters first.” We didn’t have that. We need a man who will break down doors and understand the consequences of war.”

Trump’s first defense secretary, retired Marine Gen. Jim Mattis, served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and was awarded a Bronze Star with a V for valor for his service in one of the lead strike units that advanced against Kuwait in the first Gulf War.

Current Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, a retired four-star Army general, also commanded troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and received a Silver Star, the nation’s third highest award for valor, for leading troops into Iraq during the 2003 invasion.

“I have led troops in combat in some pretty significant and difficult situations,” Austin told The Associated Press. “Even if you’re a self-proclaimed ‘door-kicker’ or whatever you want to call it, I’ve managed large, complex organizations before taking this job, and done so successfully.”

“I think you have to have a perspective on what’s happening on the ground, but you also have to understand how things fit together in terms of the bigger picture,” he said.

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Associated Press writer Tara Copp contributed to this report.