Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin praised women for their military service in an interview with NBC News, calling them "some of the finest in the world."

“I have spent 41 years in uniform, three long tours in Iraq, one in Afghanistan, and everywhere I went on a battlefield, there were women in our formation. I would tell you that, you know, our women are the finest troops in the world. Quite frankly, some of the finest in the world," Austin said, as reported by NBC News on Wednesday.

Austin's praise for women in combat roles comes as President-elect Trump's Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth has faced scrutiny over his position on the issue. Hegseth has been a fierce opponent of “wokeness” in the military and has........

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