Pete Hegseth seems really confused about where Southeast Asia is

Pete Hegseth seems really confused about where Southeast Asia is

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, revealed an embarrassing ignorance about a major geopolitical organization during his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday.

Hegseth, a former Fox News personality, was answering questions from Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) when she asked him to share his knowledge about even a single member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

“Can you name the importance of at least one of the nations in ASEAN and what kind of agreement we have with at least one of those nations?” she asked.

“I can’t tell you the exact number of nations, but I know we have allies in South Korea and Japan and… with Australia,” Hegseth began to answer.

Duckworth interrupted to make a significant correction.

“None of these three countries you mentioned are part of ASEAN,” she said. “I suggest you do some homework before preparing for such negotiations.”

Pete Hegseth during his confirmation hearing on Tuesday.Pete Hegseth during his confirmation hearing on Tuesday.

Pete Hegseth during his confirmation hearing on Tuesday. Bloomberg via Getty Images

ASEAN members include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Australia, one of the countries mentioned by Hegseth, is not even on the Asian continent.

Hegseth, who faces allegations of sexual misconduct as well as excessive drinking and partying, spent the last decade as a commentator on Fox News. In the early 2000s, he was commissioned as an infantry officer in the Army National Guard and deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay. Furthermore, he has no experience in defense roles.

Duckworth wasn’t the only one focused on Hegseth’s minimal qualifications on Tuesday. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told Hegseth he would support him if he auditioned for a lesser role, such as a Pentagon spokesman. Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, was even harsher.

“Mr. Hegseth, I do not believe you are qualified for the overwhelming demands of this job,” Reed told him.

“Various sources, including your own writings, accuse you of violating martial law, financial mismanagement, racist and sexist statements about men and women in uniform, alcohol abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and other troubling issues,” he continued. “I have reviewed many of these allegations and find them extremely alarming.”

Hegseth has denied all allegations against him.

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