![\"James](\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.towleroad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/mattis.jpeg?resize=600%2C334\")
<\/a><\/p>\nAt a Senate confirmation hearing today, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand questioned Trump\u2019s Secretary of Defense nominee General James Mattis about his past statements that women<\/a> should not be in combat positions and that there should be concern about gays<\/a> serving openly in the military.<\/p>\n Our transcript:<\/p>\n MATTIS<\/strong>: \u201cSenator, I was not in a position to go back into government when I made those statements (about women<\/a>). There are many policies that have been enacted, over many years, including the years I\u2019ve been on active duty. I\u2019m coming in with the understanding that I lead the Department of Defense, and if someone brings me a problem, then I\u2019ll look at it, but I\u2019m not coming in looking for problems. I\u2019m looking for ways to get the department so that it\u2019s at its most lethal, uh, stance\u2026.I have no plan to oppose women<\/a> in any aspect of our military.\u201d<\/p>\n GILLIBRAND<\/strong>: \u201cIn your book, Warriors and Citizens<\/em> and the interviews you did afterwards\u2026you said in recent policy debates such as\u00a0those about allowing homosexuals to serve openly\u2026you believe that \u2018the American public is not nearly as concerned as it should be that the changes to military policies are accruing risk to our forces. We fear that an uninformed public is permitting political leaders to impose an accretion of social conventions that are diminishing the combat power of our military disregarding our war-fighting practitioners advice.\u2019 Do you believe that openly serving homosexuals along with women<\/a> in combat units is undermining our force?\u201d<\/p>\n MATTIS<\/strong>: \u201cSenator, my belief is that we have to stay focused on a military that is so lethal that on the battlefield it will be the enemy\u2019s longest day and their worst day when they run into that force. I believe that military service is a touchstone for patriots of whatever stripe. That\u2019s simply the way they demonstrate their commitment and I believe right now the policies that are in effect unless a service chief brings something to me where there has been a problem that has been proven then I\u2019m not going in with the idea that I\u2019m going to review these and right away start rolling something back.\u201d<\/p>\n GILLIBRAND<\/strong>: \u201cDo you believe that allowing LGBT Americans to serve in the military or allowing women<\/a> in combat is undermining our lethality?\u201d<\/p>\n MATTIS<\/strong>: \u201cFrankly, senator, I\u2019ve never cared about two consenting adults and who they go to bed with.\u201d<\/p>\n GILLIBRAND<\/strong>: \u201cSo the answer is no?\u201d<\/p>\n MATTIS<\/strong>: \u201cSenator, my concern is on the readiness of the force to fight and to make certain that it is at the top of its game so that we go up against an\u00a0enemy the criteria for everything we do in the military up until that point when we put our young men<\/a> and women<\/a> across the line of departure is they will be at their most lethal stance. That\u2019s my obligation as I move into this job.\u201d<\/p>\n Watch:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The post Sec\u2019y of Defense Nominee James Mattis Grilled on Gays, Women in the Military: WATCH<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n