First came Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. Then Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois.

Some of the fiercest questioning during Pete Hegseth’s very contentious Senate confirmation hearing came from female Democratic senators. They accused him of denigrating female members of the military, failing to meet the most basic standards for a defense secretary and refusing to answer their questions.

They focused heavily on Mr. Hegseth’s previous statements that women should not have combat roles in the military, asking whether he has modulated his views now only because President-elect Donald J. Trump has picked him to lead the Pentagon.

Mr. Hegseth seemed mostly unruffled, insisting that he has never disparaged women serving in the armed forces and that he has the necessary qualifications for the job.

“Yes, women will have access to ground combat roles, given the standards remain high, and we will have a review to ensure the standards have not been eroded,” he said at one point.

Senator Joni Ernst’s support is viewed as critical to Pete Hegseth’s chances of confirmation by the whole Senate.Credit…Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times

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