Image source, Reuters

Donald Trump’s pick for defence secretary has just begun his opening statement in front of the committee.

He starts with the usual pleasantries about working with the committee - both political sides - if confirmed, thanking various people for their support including his wife, and with expressions of his Christian faith.

Hegseth says the hearing is for the troops and veterans watching, “black and white, young and old, men and women”.

He then pauses after disruption in the room.

Rachel Looker
Reporting from Capitol Hill

We just heard from two lawmakers - one current and one former - who introduced Hegseth before he delivers his opening statement.

First, we heard from a fellow Minnesotan, former Senator Norm Coleman, a Republican.

Coleman served in the Senate between 2003 and 2009 and was a member of the Foreign Relations Committee.

Current Florida Congressman Mike Walz, also a Republican, provided the second introduction for Hegseth.

Walz is a former White House and Pentagon advisor, as well as a Green Beret and veteran. He won re-election in Florida this fall.

We're now hearing from former Republican Senator Norm Coleman, one of two people introducing Hegseth to the hearing.

His job is to laud Hegseth and sell him both to the committee members and the American public.

We'll hear from Hegseth himself after this, so stay with us.

Democratic Senator Jack Reed continues, saying Pete Hegseth is not capable of fulfilling the role of defence secretary.

Reed says Hegseth lacks the "character and composure" to become defence secretary.

He raises Hegseth's past attitude towards diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI), and the repercussions of his anti-DEI views on servicemen and women.

Hegseth is not alone in this, as the incoming Donald Trump administration has said multiple times they wish to bring to an end DEI policies across government.

Image source, US Senate

Reed says he is the only member of the committee from the Democratic Party who Hegseth met with ahead of the hearing.

He says this is unacceptable and goes against the committee's bipartisan tradition.

Democratic Senator Jack Reed - the ranking member - is then handed the floor.

He details a list of allegations against Hegseth, including what he describes as disregard for the laws of war, financial mismanagement, racists and sexist remarks about men and women in uniform and alcohol abuse.

He also raises allegations of sexual misconduct, which Hegseth has denied.

Reed says he finds the allegations "extremely alarming", adding it would disqualify any service member from having a leadership position let alone the secretary of defence.

Wicker praises Hegseth's communication skills, saying he will excel at that part of the role where his predecessors have fallen short.

He addresses allegations about Hegseth's personal conduct, saying he has admitted to falling short "as we all do from time to time".

Wicker says it is noteworthy the majority of the accusations against Hegseth have come from anonymous sources, and he contrasts them with public commendations from former colleagues.

Image source, US Senate

Admittedly, the nomination for defence secretary is "unconventional", Chairman Wicker says, but then argues that Hegseth is the right choice.

He says Hegseth will bring energy and fresh ideas to shape up the bureaucracy, adding that he'll "bring a swift end" to actions such as diversity and inclusion in the military.

Wicker says he's "confident" Hegseth will get the job done.

The chairman goes on to say that, as an infantry man, Hegseth has many important attributes for the role.

Rachel Looker
Reporting from Capitol Hill

Republican Senator Roger Wicker, who chairs the committee, just addressed audience members after they applauded loudly when Hegseth and his family entered the hearing room.

Almost every seat is taken by a member of the public in the crowd in the back of the room.

Some attendees - sporting veteran hats - are wearing black and white t-shirts indicating their support for Hegseth. Others are wearing red buttons that say "Vote Pete".

Image source, US Senate Committee on Armed Services

Chairman Wicker lists disruptive behaviour that is barred in the chamber. He says shouting, standing and holding up signs won't be tolerated, adding: "We're very serious about this."

Since the start of the Israel-Gaza war, congressional hearings on foreign policy and the military have been regularly disrupted by protesters.

The hearing starts with the holding of a moment of silence for the LA fires.

Committee chairman Republican Roger Wicker says Amen as it ends.

Image source, Getty Images

With Pete Hegseth now in place, his confirmation hearing has started.

We'll be bringing you updates and analysis on the key lines throughout, and you can also follow along by pressing watch live at the top of this page.

Our reporter on Capitol Hill, Rachel Looker, has a quick guide on how it all works here.

Rachel Looker
Reporting from Capitol Hill

Image source, Reuters

Hegseth just entered the room and is met with loud applause from members of the public in attendance.

Attendees begin chanting "USA!" as he took the stand.

The room is packed with reporters and members of the public. There's been an increased security presence in the halls of the Dirksen Office Building ahead of the scheduled hearing.

What to watch out for at Hegseth's hearingpublished at 14:29 Greenwich Mean Time 14 January

14:29 GMT 14 January

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

The Democratic strategy to undermine Pete Hegseth’s nomination appears likely to focus on three key areas – his qualifications to run the sprawling defence department bureaucracy, allegations of alcohol abuse and mistreatment of women, and questions surrounding his leadership of several non-profit veterans advocacy groups.

Each member of the Senate Armed Services Committee has a limited amount of time to ask questions of the nominee, so expect individual Democratic senators to focus on different lines of questioning.

New York’s Kirsten Gillibrand, for instance, has pushed legislation to address sexual harassment in the armed forces. Several other senators – Mark Kelly of Arizona and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois - have extensive military backgrounds.

Republicans, who hold a narrow majority on the committee, are largely supportive of Hegseth and his calls to focus on improving the military’s warrior culture.

Iowa senator Joni Ernst, a veteran Republican and herself a victim of sexual assault, has been less than enthusiastic about his nomination, however. If today’s hearings indicate she still has doubts - despite intense pressure from Trump's team to fall in line behind Hegseth - it could indicate that his path to confirmation still has some obstacles.

President-Elect Donald Trump has sent a message of support to his defence secretary pick ahead of the hearing.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, he says Hegseth will make "a GREAT Secretary of Defense" and that the veteran has his "Complete and Total support".

Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who will soon be in Trump's team, also shares a post on his platform X. He keeps his message short: "Support Pete Hegseth!"

Rachel Looker
Reporting from Capitol Hill

Image source, Reuters

Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa, will be a key member on the committee to watch during questioning.

Ernst, a former Army National Guard commander, has already raised eyebrows over Hegseth’s nomination by not voicing her support for the nominee.

The two met last year. Hegseth described their meeting as “great” on Fox News. Ernst reiterated that she is looking forward to his hearing without committing to how she will vote.

It’s possible Ernst could be the lone Republican who would vote against him.

Rachel Looker
Reporting from Capitol Hill

A confirmation hearing involves a nominee testifying and answering questions from lawmakers.

We’ll likely see opening statements by the Senate Armed Services chair - Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker - and ranking member of the committee - Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed - to begin.

Hegseth will then make an oral statement.

Each lawmaker on the committee will have seven minutes to ask Hegseth questions, taking turns between a Republican and Democrat committee member.

Nominees can expect to be heavily scrutinised and asked questions about their past, and stances on certain issues.

The Democrats alone can't sink Hegsethpublished at 14:04 Greenwich Mean Time 14 January

14:04 GMT 14 January

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

Pete Hegseth’s nomination to be secretary of defence survived an early storm of media reports about past controversial comments, and personal and professional behaviour.

Now, his confirmation hearing will put him under the spotlight, as Democrats press him not only on these accusations of sexual misconduct, alcohol abuse and financial mismanagement, but also on the author and television commentator's qualifications to run the massive US military bureaucracy.

The 47 Democrats in the US Senate alone won’t be enough to sink Hegseth’s nomination. Their goal is to raise enough doubts about him to undermine his support in the Armed Services Committee and, ultimately, peel away at least four of the 53 Republicans in full Senate chamber.

That may be a tall order if Hegseth is cool under today’s political fire – particularly as some early Republican sceptics in the Senate have become more open to his confirmation of late.

If Democrats can rattle Hegseth and raise doubts about his personal and professional qualifications, however, all bets are off.

Image source, EPA

The BBC’s US partner CBS has reported that Hegseth, a former national guardsman, was once flagged as a potential "insider threat" by military colleagues who thought he had a white-supremacist tattoo.

Hegseth has a tattoo on his bicep reading "Deus Vult", a Latin phrase meaning "God wills it", a rallying cry for Christian crusaders in the Middle Ages.

Retired Master Sgt DeRicko Gaither told CBS: "I looked it up and that tattoo had ties to extremist groups." He said he had flagged the issue to leadership.

US Vice-President-elect JD Vance rushed to Hegseth’s defence, saying the phrase is a nothing more than a Christian motto. He accused the Associated Press, which first reported the story on the tattoo, of "disgusting anti-Christian bigotry".

Hegseth was stopped from serving as an officer in Washington DC during President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021. In a book published earlier this year he said he was turned down for the duty because of his tattoos.

He has denied any connection to extremist groups.

As we mentioned briefly in our last post, Hegseth is likely to be asked about an accusation that he sexually assaulted a woman in a California hotel room in 2017.

The woman claimed that Hegseth - who was then a Fox News host - took her phone and blocked the door to a hotel room while at a Republican conference in California, according to a police report.

Police were first notified of the alleged assault from an emergency room nurse.

Hegseth has denied any wrongdoing and claims the encounter was consensual. The allegation was investigated but Hegseth was never arrested or charged.

He and the unnamed accuser then reached a confidential financial settlement in 2023. Hegseth's lawyer later told the Associated Press that the payment was intended to prevent a baseless lawsuit.