Image source, Getty Images

Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin is defending Hegseth against Democrats' line of questioning about his drinking and affairs in his previous marriages.

Mullin says senators show up drunk to vote at night and their colleagues don't complain about that.

The Oklahoma senator also mentions that other senators cheat on their wives, "it's so ridiculous that you guys hold yourself to these high standards and you have a plank in your eye".

The room, once again, breaks out in applause. Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat who questioned Hegseth earlier, is seen shaking his head.

Democratic Senator Gary Peters makes it clear he's concerned about Hegseth leading millions of employees given his previous work experience.

"You have not convinced me that you are able to take on this tremendous responsibility with this complex organisation with little or no management experience," Peters says.

Peters pushes Hegseth to say exactly how many people reported to him during his tenure at non-profit. Hegseth says about eight or ten people.

Republican Senator Roger Wicker, who is leading the hearing, then says Hegseth has led more people than senators on the dais, to applause around the chamber.

People in the room applaud.

Hegseth pushed on lobbying for pardons for soldiers convicted of war crimespublished at 17:47 Greenwich Mean Time 14 January

17:47 GMT 14 January

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

Early in Pete Hegseth’s Senate confirmation hearings, Democrat Jack Reed of Rhode Island asked the nominee about his support for presidential pardons for US soldiers convicted of war crimes.

It was a reference to a controversial move by Donald Trump in 2019 to wipe away the conviction of US Army Officer Clint Lorance on two counts of second degree murder for ordering members of his platoon to open fire on three unarmed Afghani civilians. Trump also pardoned Mathew Golsteyn, who was awaiting trial on charges of executing an Afghani prisoner.

Hegseth had successfully lobbied for pardons for the two men, who had become cause celebre among many conservatives.

Even if the pardons have been mostly forgotten, the divisions over military policy go on.

For Hegseth, the prosecutions were an example of bureaucrats and lawyers who impeded America’s ability to fight unconventional wars. For Reed and other Hegseth critics, it’s an illustration of the nominees unacceptable support for those who flout rules, engage in wanton cruelty and evade meaningful oversight.

Image source, Getty Images

Warren pushes on, asking Hegseth if he'll commit to staying out of the defence industry for 10 years after his potential tenure as defence secretary.

For context: That's a policy both Warren and Hegseth have said they support for generals in the military.

Hegseth won't commit to not going into the private sector, saying: "I'm not a general, senator".

Moments later, as Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville starts speaking, he accidentally calls him "General Hegseth" and laughter breaks out in the room.

Image source, Getty Images

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren uses her time now to return to the issue of women serving in the military, and quotes Hegseth's own words back to him.

She says his views that women are inferior soldiers and should not serve in combat were expressed consistently over time, and said those statements were without the qualification of meeting certain standards.

She says there was a 32-day gap between him last expressing those views publicly and apparently changing his stance. She asks what happened to change his mind, and suggests it was his desire to become defence secretary once nominated.

Hegseth says this issue has always been about standards.

Warren cuts in, and reads a quote from him saying "women shouldn't be in combat at all", noting there is no caveat about standards there.

Hegseth says his concern is that pursuit of quotas has seen standards changed.

"I've heard of deathbed conversions, but this is the first time I've heard of a nomination conversion ," Warren says, suggesting he could change his mind again.

Image source, Reuters

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren is up next. Here's a bit of context before she gets going.

Warren recently wrote a blistering, 33-page letter to Pete Hegseth outlining his shortfalls as a prospective defence secretary.

In it, she stresses her "serious concerns" about his qualifications to serve as the US defence secretary given his "past history".

The history in question, she says, includes mismanagement of two non-profit organisations, accusations of sexual assault and drinking problems, allegations which have come up several times today.

In listing her concerns, Warren also highlights what she calls Hegseth's "blatant disregard for the contributions of female servicemembers, support for war crimes and torture, threats to politicise the military, advocating for ‘war’ against political enemies, threats to undermine DoD [Department of Defence] readiness and diversity, and contempt for veterans receiving benefits they earned".

We'll bring you the key lines from her questioning soon, stay with us.

Image source, Getty Images

Hegseth will be tasked with some three million people if his role as defence secretary in confirmed.

He admits now that he hasn't done something similar before.

"I know what I don't know," he says, adding that he's willing to learn and emphasises his leadership experience.

"I've led people," he reiterates.

Hegseth says he will have good people around him and will hold them accountable.

Hegseth is pressed by Democrat Senator Angus King on his stance on the Geneva Convention.

He says "we follow rules" but "we don't need burdensome rules of engagement that make it impossible for us to win these wars".

Explaining his stance, Hegseth says certain rules make it difficult to do your job in the battlefield.

He's quoted an excerpt from his own book, where he says the US should make its own rules.

Hegseth says the applications of the Geneva Convention are "incredibly important" but the way wars are fought now compared to how they were fought when the law was written are different.

Asked if waterboarding and torture "are okay", Hegseth says "that's not what I said", adding that he condemns torture.

"The law of the land is that waterboarding is not legal," he adds.

Vice-President-elect JD Vance just posted on X calling the "grandstanding from Senate Democrats" during Hegseth's hearing "perplexing".

"We haven't won a war in three decades and we have a major recruitment challenge," he writes.

"Hegseth is assuredly NOT more of the same, and that's good!" he adds.

Image source, Getty Images

One issue that has now been raised by two Democratic senators is the allegation that Hegseth has a history of heavy drinking.

We'll continue to bring you updates on that, and you can read some background on the allegations about his drinking here.

Democratic Senator Tim Kaine really presses Hegseth on his personal life, repeatedly asking about his extramarital affair with his third wife.

Hegseth keeps referring to the sexual assault allegations, saying he was "completely cleared".

The senator says he has an "astonishing lack of judgment". He asks about the oath he took to be faithful to his wife and the oath he would take if he was confirmed. Hegseth again references redemption and his Christian faith.

Kaine brings up that Hegseth had said he was blackmailed in reference to the sexual assault allegation but did not reveal it to the future commander-in-chief of the transition team.

"Are there any other important facts you chose not to reveal?"

Hegseth says he is an open book.

Republican Senator Dan Sullivan uses his time to ask about what he calls the Biden "woke" military.

He says no one wants a racist in the military, but claims the Biden administration played up an insulting narrative that the military is full of racists - something the Democratic Party would deny.

Hegseth says the military is one of, if not the least racist institutions in the country, and that being a racist in the military has not been tolerated for a very long time.

Sullivan turns to climate change, and Hegseth says the leadership of the army, navy and air force will be focused on lethality and not climate change.

The senator then turns to transgender surgeries for active duty troops, and asks how the troops would react if Hegseth issued an order saying they are going to rip the Biden "woke yoke off the neck of the military".

Hegseth says the troops would rejoice, adding they want the "woke", "politically correct" and political social justice "stuff" out of the military.

Image source, US Senate

Next, Hirono presses Hegseth on Greenland.

She asks the prospective defence secretary if he would comply with an order by Donald Trump to seize Greenland, a Danish territory, or an order to take over the Panama Canal.

In response, he says he would "never in this public forum" give one way or another what order the president would give him in any context.

"That sounds to me like you would contemplate carrying out such an order to basically invade Greenland and take over the Panama canal," Senator Hirono concludes.

In June 2020, Trump asked the former defence secretary if it was possible to shoot protesters in the legs. Mark Esper, who has called it a "formal question," refused.

Democratic Senator Hirono now asks Hegseth if he would carry out such an order under Trump's new presidency.

Hesgeth describes being in the National Guard during a Black Lives Matter protest but won't say if he would follow an order to shoot protesters in the leg.

Hirono assumes this is a yes and moves on. Her assumptions during the entire questioning lead to laughs from members of the crowd.

Democrat Mazie Hirono says she has read multiple reports of Hegseth being drunk at work. Hegseth repeats his claim that they are anonymous sources and it's part of a smear campaign.

Hirono picks up on his reported earlier promise to stop drinking if he receives confirmation, and asks if he will resign if he drinks on the job. She says, after all, it is a "24/7" position.

We're now hearing from Republican Senator Joni Ernst - she has not said if she will support Hegseth, and there has been speculation over whether she could scupper his chances.

She says she and Hegseth have had many productive and "frank" conversations, saying she doesn't pull her punches.

She addresses the issue of women in combat, and says it's important that she and Hegseth continue to stress that every man and women has the opportunity to serve in uniform and do so at any level and do so as long as they meet the required standard.

She also says she was denied the opportunity to serve in a combat role due to her age.

She says she believes in high standards, and asks if women will continue to have the opportunity to serve in combat roles if they meet the standards required.

Hegseth says: "Yes, exactly the way that you caveated it." And he stresses they will do as long as standards remain high.

Standards should be reviewed in a gender neutral way, he says.

Image source, Reuters

Hegseth is asked if he will submit to an expanded FBI check by Democrat Senator Richard Blumenthal. He is pressed a few times but Hegseth repeatedly says "he's not in charge of FBI checks".

Blumenthal says he will support Hegseth for spokesman for the Pentagon, jibing "I don't dispute your communication skills".

Hegseth is now posed questions by Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, who presses the prospective defence secretary on whether he mishandled finances in his previous role leading Concerned Veterans for America.

Blumenthal says his past track-record is not acceptable in the department of defence.

Hegseth attempts to respond, saying the donor money for the charity was used to better the life of veterans.

Blumenthal moves on to ask how many men and women serve in the army, navy and marines. Hegseth gets some of the numbers wrong, but Blumenthal's point is that the Pentagon's personnel numbers dwarf those of his past experience.

Rachel Looker
Reporting from Capitol Hill

Image source, Getty Images

It's been about two hours since the hearing kicked off.

Here are some of the key points we've heard so far:

• Sexual misconduct allegations: Committee Chair Roger Wicker, a Republican, addressed the allegations made against Hegseth's personal conduct. The senator pointed to how many of these accusations stemmed from anonymous sources. Ranking member Jack Reed, who serves as the top Democrat on the hearing called them "extremely alarming"
• Women in combat: A tense exchange between Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Hegseth centred on the role of women in combat. Other senators pushed Hegseth for prior comments he has made regarding women in combat. Hegseth responded that some of the best soldiers he has ever served with were women. Democrat Senator Kirsten Gillibrand also pushed Hegseth for clarity on his stance regarding members of the LGBTQ community

• War in Gaza: Hegseth was asked if he supports Israel's war in Gaza. He responds: "I support Israel destroying and killing every last member of Hamas"
• Trump's appointment: Hegseth, during his opening statement, said Trump had charged him to "bring the warrior culture back" to the defence department.

Republican Senator Mike Rounds gives Hegseth more time to respond to some of the questions Democratic Senator Gillibrand put to him about women in the military.

Hegseth says female engagement teams have shown a great deal of success on the battlefield.

He says he has been in Iraqi homes where the gender and language barrier was "real" and the ability to "have someone there to help" would be a "massive accelerant in mission success".

He says people's politics doesn't matter when they're serving together on the battlefield, and says politics shouldn't play a part in the focus of the military.