Overview

• Hegseth told the Senate Armed Services Committee that district courts should not determine national security and that he would abide only by a Supreme Court decision before withdrawing troops.
• He defended deploying nearly 5,000 Marines and National Guardsmen to Los Angeles without seeking approval from California’s governor or the city’s mayor.
• When pressed on arrest powers, he said troops could temporarily detain individuals for self-defense and hand them over to ICE but denied authorizing formal arrests.
• He declined to answer whether he would comply with a presidential order to use lethal force against civilians, rejecting the premise that he would receive unlawful commands.
• Hegseth has moved to dismantle diversity and equity initiatives within the Department of Defense and is furnishing President Trump with strategic options for potential strikes on Iran.