Hirono Presses Hegseth on Illegal War in Iran, Women in Combat

~Watch Senator Hirono's Questions Here~

WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, raised concerns about the true costs of Trump's illegal war in Iran and pressed U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Pete Hegseth on the implications of a Pentagon review Hegseth ordered examining "the effectiveness of women in combat jobs."

"Since the start of the war, 13 brave U.S. Service members have been killed, more than 400 have been wounded. We burned through over $25 billion in taxpayer money. […] The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which somehow caught the president by surprise, even though he had to have been warned, is directly contributing to the unaffordable prices that Americans are facing," said Senator Hirono. "This illegal war is driving up costs, undermining readiness, and alienating our allies with neither a clear rationale for starting this war, nor an exit strategy.

Senator Hirono has consistently expressed concerns about how the ongoing war in Iran could affect overall readiness. Earlier this month, she questioned Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, Jr., Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) on how munitions expenditures in the Iran War are impacting readiness in the Indo-Pacific. In March, Senator Hirono also pressed the vice chiefs of all five military services on the impact of the ongoing war in Iran on each of their respective forces' readiness.

Senator Hirono also confronted Secretary Hegseth on his changing position towards women serving in combat roles, citing a Pentagon study he recently directed to review the "effectiveness of women in combat jobs."

"I am concerned you are laying the groundwork to reverse the policy allowing women to serve in these units," said Senator Hirono. "Did you order the review to support a potential decision to overturn the policy of having women in combat roles?"

At the hearing, Secretary Hegseth refused to answer Senator Hiono's straightforward question.

Since 2016, women who meet the genderless standards for combat fitness have been allowed to serve in combat roles. Senator Hirono has previously asked senior military leadership if they believed the fact of women being present in combat units lowers standards. Each member of leadership, when questioned by Senator Hirono, confirmed that there was no evidence of this.

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