Washington, Jan 14 (AP) President-elect Donald Trump's choice for defence secretary Pete Hegseth vowed Tuesday to foster a “warrior culture” at the Pentagon, portraying himself as a “change agent” during a testy Senate confirmation hearing.

The hearing drew an outburst of protest but also veterans supporting the pick.

Hegesth drew on his combat experience in the Army National Guard and did not initially address the allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking against him as senators determine whether the veteran and TV news show host is fit to lead the US military.

“It's time to give someone with dust on his boots the helm. A change agent,” Hegseth said in opening remarks.

Asked directly about the sexual assault allegation, Hegseth dismissed it as a “smear campaign” as he portrayed himself as unfairly attacked. But he did not specifically address any of the accusations, or tell the senators that he did not drink or womanise.

Senators immediately began sparring, with the Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee acknowledging the “unconventional” choice and the top Democrat warning of “extremely alarming” allegations against him.

Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the chairman, compared Hegseth to Trump himself, dismissed the various allegations against him as unfounded and said he will “bring energy and fresh ideas to shake up the bureaucracy.” But Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. said flatly: “I do not believe that you are qualified to meet the overwhelming demands of this job.” Hegseth's experience in the Army National Guard is widely viewed as an asset for the job, but he also brings a jarring record of past statements and actions, including allegations of sexual assault, excessive drinking and derisive views about women in military combat roles, minorities and “woke” generals. He has vowed not to drink alcohol if he is confirmed to lead the Pentagon.

Trump backed his pick, saying Hegseth has “my Complete and Total support” in a morning post wishing the nominee “good luck.” The hearing at the Senate Armed Services Committee is the start of a weeklong marathon as senators begin scrutinising Trump's choices for more than a dozen top administrative positions.

Hegseth is among the most endangered of Trump's Cabinet choices, but GOP allies are determined to turn him into a cause celebre for Trump's governing approach amid the nation's culture wars. Outside groups, including those aligned with the Heritage Foundation, are running costly campaigns to prop up Hegseth's bid.

In the audience were cadres of men wearing clothing expressing support for veterans or service in the military, but also protesters who momentarily disrupted proceedings but were removed from the room.

The Republican-led Senate is rushing to have some of Trump's picks ready to be confirmed as soon as Inauguration Day, January 20, despite potential opposition to some from both sides of the aisle. With a narrow GOP majority, they need almost all Republicans to support Trump's pick if Democrats oppose.

Hegseth faces perhaps the most difficult path to confirmation. He will be forced to confront allegations of sexual assault, which he has denied, and his own comments that are far from the military mainstream, though he has the support of some veterans' groups that say his past indiscretions are not as important as his focus on improving military readiness to fight.

“He will be ripped. He will be demeaned. He will be talked about,” said Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., at an event with former Navy SEALs, Army special forces and Marines supporting the nominee. “But we're going to get him across the finish line.” And Hegseth will have to answer for his comments that women should “straight up” not be in combat roles in the military, a view he has softened following recent meetings with senators. Two former female combat veterans, Republican Joni Ernst of Iowa and Democrat Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, are among those grilling him from the dais.

“He can try to walk back his comments on women in combat all he wants, but we know what he thinks, right?” said Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran who lost her legs and partial use of her right arm when the Black Hawk helicopter she was piloting in the Army National Guard was shot down. “He's the most unqualified person to ever be nominated for secretary of defence.” Many senators have not yet met with Hegseth and most do not have access to his FBI background check, as only committee leaders were briefed on its findings. The background check on Hegseth appeared lacking, and did not probe or produce new information beyond what's already in the public realm about him, according to a person familiar with the situation who insisted on anonymity to discuss it.

In many ways, the Hegseth hearing is expected to follow the template set during Trump's first term, when one of his choices for Supreme Court justice, Brett Kavanaugh, came under intense scrutiny over allegations of sexual assault from his teens but recouped to win confirmation to the high court.

Kavanaugh vigorously fought back during a volcanic 2018 hearing, portraying the sexual assault allegations against him as a smear job by liberal lawmakers and outside groups opposed to his judicial record, turning the tables in a way that many senators credit with setting a new benchmark for partisanship.

Asked about advice for Hegseth, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, referred to that earlier example.

“Go back and watch videos of the Kavanaugh hearings — give you a flavour,” he said.

Hegseth was largely unknown on Capitol Hill when Trump tapped him for the top Pentagon job.

A co-host of Fox News Channel's “Fox & Friends Weekend,” he had been a contributor with the network since 2014 and apparently caught the eye of the president-elect, who is an avid consumer of television and the news channel, in particular.

Hegseth, 44, attended Princeton University and served in the Army National Guard from 2002 to 2021, deploying to Iraq in 2005 and Afghanistan in 2011 and earning two Bronze Stars. But he lacks senior military and national security experience.

In 2017, a woman told police that Hegseth sexually assaulted her, according to a detailed investigative report recently made public. Hegseth has denied any wrongdoing and told police at the time that the encounter at a Republican women's event in California was consensual. He later paid the woman a confidential settlement to head off a potential lawsuit.

If confirmed, Hegseth would take over a military juggling an array of crises on the global stage and domestic challenges in military recruitment, retention and ongoing funding.

Besides being a key national security adviser to the president, the defence secretary oversees a massive organisation, with nearly 2.1 million service members, about 780,000 civilians and a budget of roughly USD 850 billion.

The secretary is responsible for tens of thousands of US troops deployed overseas and at sea, including in combat zones where they face attacks, such as in Syria and Iraq and in the waters around Yemen. The secretary makes all final recommendations to the president on what units are deployed, where they go and how long they stay.

The secretary's main job is to make sure the US military is ready, trained and equipped to meet any call to duty. But the secretary also must ensure that American troops are safe and secure at home, with proper housing, health care, pay and support for programmes dealing with suicide, sexual assault and financial scams.

Pentagon chiefs also routinely travel across the world, meeting with international leaders on a vast range of security issues including US military aid, counterterrorism support, troop presence and global coalition building. And they play a key role at NATO as a critical partner to allies across the region. (AP) GRS GRS