Democratic Senator Kirsten Elizabeth Gillibrand is next.

She voices her frustration at Hegseth's previous comments which she says have denigrated active duty service members, by degrading women and members of the LGTBQ community.

She accuses him of making "hurtful" and "harmful" comments towards many of those already serving in the US military.

Gillibrand asks him to explain his statements, which are "brutal", "mean" and disrespectful to the men and women "willing to die for this country".

She goes on to say she's distressed that he didn't meet with her before the meeting, where they could have discussed all the points she's raised in more depth.

For this exchange, the hearing mostly hears Gillibrand's remarks as Hegseth's response is often interrupted by the senator's exasperation at his "generalised" comments.

Image source, Getty Images

Republican Senator Tom Cotton gives Hegseth a chance to respond to some of the earlier disruption when protesters shouted things towards him.

He asks Hegseth if he supports Israel's war in Gaza.

"I support Israel destroying and killing every last member of Hamas," he responds.

For context: On 7 October 2023, Hamas fighters launched an assault from Gaza, killing about 1,200 people in Israel and taking more than 250 hostages.

This triggered a massive Israeli military offensive in Gaza. More than 46,000 people have been killed, the majority of them women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Over now to Republican Senator Tom Cotton, who continues with the theme of Hegseth's views on women serving in the military.

Hegseth says the women he served with were some of the best soldiers he worked with.

But he says Trump has not yet indicated whether he plans to change whether women would have access to certain combat roles.

He says ensuring that standards are equal and high are important to him and Trump, saying that in ground combat roles the weight of equipment doesn't change based on gender.

And he appears to voice opposition to lowering standards to meet gender or racial "quotas".

Cotton says there are "irreducible physical demands" for some roles in the military, and Hegseth agrees.

Image source, Reuters

A barbed back and forth between Pete Hegseth and Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen on the role of women in combat is breaking out.

Shaheen quotes some of Hegseth's previous remarks on the matter, asking him if he believes the two women on this committee that worked in the US military made it less effective.

Hegseth says he's grateful for the contributions of women to the military, but what he's talking about is "standards" and "readiness" on the battlefield.

Shaheen asks why women should believe they'll have an equal opportunity to rise through the ranks in the US military, to which he says "our unity and our shared purpose is what defines us".

"I appreciate your 11th hour conversion," Shaheen goes on to say.

Rachel Looker
Reporting from Capitol Hill

New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, started off her questions by sharing that she was unable to meet with Hegseth before today's committee hearing, unlike her colleagues across the aisle.

Hegseth made the rounds on Capitol Hill at the end of last year meeting with Republican senators, many of whom had expressed concerns over his nomination.

But a majority of Democrats on the committee, Shaheen reiterated, have had a harder time getting on his calendar.

This is notable given the highly bipartisanship nature of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Hegseth will need as many votes behind him as possible for his nomination to be cleared out of committee. Just one vote against him could block his nomination.

The courting process is a crucial step for nominees to secure support before a committee hearing. This can help a nominee glide through the voting process in both committee and on the full Senate floor.

It's important to note that a nomination that clears a committee typically does not face opposition on the full Senate floor.

Nomia Iqbal
North America correspondent, reporting from Capitol Hill

Image source, Getty Images

Pete Hegseth is considered an outsider for this job due to his lack of experience, but that is probably the point as far as Donald Trump is concerned.

In fact, Chairman Roger Wicker compared the two in his opening statement.

Both were television stars. Hegseth spent the past decade on a couch presenting a morning TV show for Fox News.

If confirmed, the 44-year-old would become the youngest defence secretary in decades.

Donald Rumsfeld was 43 when he took the role under President Ford in 1975.

We've not yet heard much from Hegseth on current conflicts and other potential military adversaries and strategic rivals.

There have been brief mentions of China and the war in Ukraine and Russia.

Image source, Getty Images

Republican Senator Deb Fischer asks now about the nuclear triad military strategy and lethality when it comes to US defence systems.

Hegseth calls for using emergency powers and the Defense Production Act, where the government mandates that the private sector produce something, in order to boost US nuclear capabilities.

It's in response to Fischer referring to previous projects that have faced delays or problems.

He says "competition" is a way to tackle it and says he wants to embrace Silicon Valley technology and financing.

Rachel Looker
Reporting from Capitol Hill

There are 14 Republicans and 13 Democrats who serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee in the 119th Congress.

The committee is chaired by Republican Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi. Senator Jack Reed, from Rhode Island serves as the ranking member, which is the top Democrat on the committee.

This is a powerful committee and every member is considered a heavyweight in the Senate.

As the questioning continues, this is who to keep an eye on:

Republicans

• Tom Cotton, Arkansas - Largely regarded as a Trump loyalist and a war hawk, he called for calling in troops to disband protesters during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. He is an army veteran

• Joni Ernst, Iowa - She has not publicly said she would support Hegseth, and is known to disagree with his statements that women should not serve in combat
• Rick Scott, Florida - A former governor who worked in venture capital, he is a leader in the party's conservative wing who has taken a hard line on many diversity policies. He could bring up military spending
• Tommy Tuberville, Alabama - During the Biden administration, he blocked the Senate from approving more than 100 people for senior military and defence positions, including the leader of the Marines, over the issue of abortion

Democrats include:

• Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts - A leader of the liberal wing of the party and Trump antagonist during his first term, she has sent a letter to Hegseth with 100 questions she wants him to answer today
• Tammy Duckworth, Illinois - As a combat veteran of the Iraq War, she is expected to take issue with Hegseth's comments that women should not serve in combat

• Mark Kelly, Arizona - A former Navy captain who was a frontrunner to become Kamala Harris's running mate

One independent, who typically is grouped with the Democrats, serves on the committee:

• Maine Senator Angus King

Image source, Getty Images

Reed continues, alleging that current serving military personnel have received emails threatening they will be fired because of their support for "woke" diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies and other liberal stances.

These emails use language similar to that used by Hegseth, Reed says.

Is Hegseth aware of this?

Hegseth says there has not been accountability for the last four years.

He's asked again if he is aware, and he says he is not aware of them and appears to distance himself from them, but adds there has been no accountability for the way the US withdrew from Afghanistan.

The exchange continues, and Hegseth says the military was a forerunner in courageous racial integration, but says the DEI policies are now dividing troops and not putting meritocracy first.

Democrat Senator Jack Reed - the ranking member - is up now. He queries why a second round of questioning by the committee has been denied, before starting his formal quizzing of Hegseth.

He says the FBI background investigation on Hegseth - a standard process for the cabinet - is "insufficient".

He says it did not have access to the forensic audit and requests the full report is made available to all in the House.

Hegseth has referenced his Christian faith a number of times, and when addressing questions about his personal conduct he says he is not a perfect person but has been "saved by the grace of God, by Jesus and Jenny" - the latter being a reference to his wife.

He says redemption is real.

Republican Chairman Wicker says many Americans would say they have experienced the same sort of redemption.

Image source, Getty Images

Each lawmaker on the committee now has seven minutes to ask Hegseth questions, with members from each party taking turns.

Republican Chairman Roger Wicker asks the first question, requesting a response from Hegseth to allegations of sexual assault, which he has already denied.

Hegseth thanks Wicker for the opportunity and calls the reporting on the allegations a "co-ordinated smear campaign" by the media against.

He then claiming it is a "small handful of anonymous sources" in the left wing press.

Hegseth does not provide evidence of this and goes on to allege people have offered publications on-record positive stories about working for him, but that they had been denied.

Hegseth makes no mention of Russia-Ukraine warpublished at 15:22 Greenwich Mean Time 14 January

15:22 GMT 14 January

Nomia Iqbal
North America correspondent, reporting from Capitol Hill

Notable in his statement is that there is no specific mention of Russia, Ukraine or Nato.

The only geographical area he brings up is the Indo-Pacific, referring to China as "communist China" - an old phrase that has been resurrected by President-elect Donald Trump.

Hegseth also mentions "responsibly ending wars", a likely reference to Ukraine.

Donald Trump has said he'll end the war there on day one, without giving any specifics.

Many critics thinks a peace plan for Ukraine would look like a victory for Vladimir Putin.

Expect Hegseth to be questioned about this and about a 2022 interview in which he called Vladmir Putin a "war criminal".

However, recently, he has been more cautious and criticised the US involvement in Ukraine.

Image source, Reuters

Hegseth focuses on his background as a soldier, saying he has led troops into combat and “pulled out dead bodies”.

He also points to his past advocacy for veterans.

Trump has given him a clear vision, he says, telling the committee he and they share the same goals of having a lethal military, guarding the wellbeing of troops, and having a strong and secure country.

And with that he ends his statement. Next up are questions from the committee members.

Hegseth says it’s true he doesn’t have the usual biography of a defence secretary pick, but says Trump wants someone with “dust on his boots” and a "change agent".

Hegseth says he will focus on deterring wars and if necessary winning them by “ensuring our warriors never enter a fair fight”, adding "we let them win" and then bring them home.

Image source, Getty Images

Hegseth says the military would be apolitical and constitutional while pursuing “America first” national security goals if he is confirmed.

And he takes a swipe at the Democrats, saying that unlike the Biden administration, politics should play “no part in military matters”.

Leadership roles will be given based on merit, he says.

Continuing after another disruption, Hegseth begins to outlines three things he wants to achieve if confirmed as defence secretary:

The first is to “restore the warrior ethos” to the Pentagon.

But he is again cut off by people shouting.

Wicker says people causing disruption will be removed.

Hegseth then outlines the other two:

• “Rebuild our military”, including reviving the industrial base and modernising the country’s nuclear capabilities
• “Re-establish deterrence”, including deterring “aggression” in the Indo-Pacific from the “communist Chinese”, and ending wars “responsibly” to ensure resources are prioritised

Rachel Looker
Reporting from Capitol Hill

We just saw our first disruption during the hearing.

One member from the audience stood up and shouted, "I am a veteran of the Vietnam war."

"Pete, you are a misogynist," he went on.

The man continued and called Hegseth a "Christian Zionist".

Capitol Police quickly carried the man out of the room.

A second woman then stood in the crowd, referencing the situation in Gaza.

"When are you going to stop bombing babies in Gaza?" she shouted.

A third disruption then followed with police quickly responding as another audience member chanted "USA"!

The hearing has now been interrupted several times while Hegseth is trying to get through his opening statement.

Committee Chair Wicker addressed the audience several times.

"We're simply not going to tolerate that," he said of the disruptions.

Hegseth thanks Trump for his support and says he won the presidential election to “put America first”.

The troops have no better commander-in-chief, he adds.

The primary charge Trump has given him is to “bring the warrior culture back” to the defence department, Hegseth says.

Both he and Trump want a Pentagon “laser focused” on lethality, meritocracy, standards and readiness he says.

Another person in the room begins to shout and Hegseth is forced to pause again.