First came Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. Then Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois.
Some of the fiercest questioning during Pete Hegseth’s very contentious Senate confirmation hearing came from female Democratic senators. They accused him of denigrating female members of the military, failing to meet the most basic standards for a defense secretary and refusing to answer their questions.
They focused heavily on Mr. Hegseth’s previous statements that women should not have combat roles in the military, asking whether he has modulated his views now only because President-elect Donald J. Trump has picked him to lead the Pentagon.
Mr. Hegseth seemed mostly unruffled, insisting that he has never disparaged women serving in the armed forces and that he has the necessary qualifications for the job.
“Yes, women will have access to ground combat roles, given the standards remain high, and we will have a review to ensure the standards have not been eroded,” he said at one point.
Ms. Warren said he had changed his position on that matter in just 32 days. “I have heard of deathbed conversions but this is the first I’ve heard of a nomination conversion,” she said.
Ms. Gillibrand, who often raised her voice, asked him to “please explain these types of statements because they’re brutal and they’re mean and they disrespect men and women who are willing to die for this country.”
Ms. Shaheen, who spoke firmly but more quietly than Ms. Gillibrand, asked whether women would have a fair shot of promotion if he led the Pentagon given his earlier suggestions that they make the military a less lethal force.
Senator Hirono said she had noticed “a disturbing pattern” of “inflammatory statements” not just about women in combat, but about L.G.B.T.Q. service members, asking: “If confirmed, will you commit to defend, not denigrate our troops?”
She also tried to force him to promise that he would resign if he broke his promise never to drink alcohol if he was confirmed as the defense secretary. Mr. Hegseth said only that he had made the commitment not to drink.
He faced friendlier questioning from Senator Joni Ernst, Republican of Iowa, who retired as a lieutenant colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard.
Ms. Ernst used her time to get him to repeat publicly promises she has said he made to her in private: to support the role of men and women in the military provided they can meet certain standards, to appoint a senior officer to strengthen her past work to prevent sexual assault and rape in the military, and to conduct an audit of the Pentagon.
Ms. Ernst’s support is viewed as critical to Mr. Hegseth’s chances of confirmation by the whole Senate. But in this session, her more genial approach contrasted with most of the other female questioners.
“You are not qualified, Mr. Hegseth,” said Ms. Duckworth, an Army veteran who lost her legs in the Iraq war. “You are asking us to lower the standards to make you the secretary of defense simply because you are buddies with a president elect.”
