Pete Hegseth pitched himself as a “change agent” to lead the Defense Department, while Democrats excoriated him as unfit for any military leadership post, let alone its top one, in the first confirmation hearing for President-elect Donald Trump incoming Cabinet on Tuesday. In his opening remarks, Hegseth said his goals would be to “restore the warrior ethos,” “rebuild our military” and “re-establish deterrence” if he was confirmed as defense secretary. “Unlike the current administration, politics should play no part in military matters. We are not Republicans or Democrats — we are American warriors,” Hegseth said. “Our standards will be high, and they will be equal — not equitable, that is a very different word.” Follow live updates from NBC News. The contentious hearing, which was interrupted by protesters on several occasions less an hour after it began, set a tone that is likely to be present at the dozen hearings also scheduled this week as senators race to help Trump fill out his administration ahead of his inauguration on Monday. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the new chairman of the Armed Services Committee, acknowledged that Hegseth is an “unconventional” pick, but said “that may be what makes Mr. Hegseth an excellent choice,” comparing him to Trump. The Pentagon needs a disrupter who will “bring a swift end to corrosive distractions such as DEI,” Wicker said, referring to diversity, equity and inclusion measures. Hegseth was introduced at the hearing by Rep Mike Waltz, R-Fla., Trump’s incoming national security adviser, who praised Hegseth’s experience as a solider who would be the first Pentagon leader to have served as a junior officer on the front lines of combat. Tapped to lead the massive Defense Department, Hegseth has faced allegations of sexual assault, excessive drinking and financial mismanagement when he ran a veterans’ advocacy organization, all of which he has denied. He has faced criticism for past opposition to allowing women and openly gay people to serve in combat, positions he has walked back.  When Wicker mentioned the accusations against him, Hegseth dismissed them as a “coordinated smear campaign” in the “left-wing media.” Others have expressed concern that Hegseth does not have adequate management experience to oversee the sprawling military bureaucracy, which employs more than 2.1 million people and has a budget of more than $800 billion.  Despite the criticism, Trump has stood by Hegseth, saying he has his full support. Trump’s allies on Capitol Hill and in outside conservative groups have been pressuring Republican senators to support the nomination.  Hegseth did not meet with most of the Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee, suggesting he’s more focused on consolidating support among Republicans than winning significant bipartisan backing. He cannot afford to lose many GOP votes in the narrowly divided Senate. Senators in both parties have expressed concern about a 2017 sexual assault allegation. A female staffer for a Republican women’s group said Hegseth took her phone and blocked her from leaving his hotel room before he forced himself on her after a political convention in Monterey, California. She reported the incident to police, and Hegseth settled for an undisclosed sum.  The FBI background check on Hegseth, which the chairman and the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee received late last week, does not include interviews with the woman or with Hegseth’s ex-wives, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the contents of the report. Hegseth has said the relation was consensual, and his lawyer said he “strongly felt that he was the victim of blackmail and innocent collateral damage in a lie that the Complainant was holding onto to keep her marriage intact.”  Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., noted that that relationship occurred while Hegseth was still married to his second wife and shortly after the birth of a child resulting from a separate affair between Hegseth and a colleague. “It was a false claim,” Hegseth repeated multiple times of the assault allegation, insisting he was cleared. “I am shocked you would stand here and say you were completely cleared when you can so causally cheat on your second wife and cheat on the mother of a child you had fathered two months before,” Kaine said. “At each one of your weddings, you’ve taken an oath to be faithful, is that correct? Just like you would take an oath to be faith to the Constitution as secretary of defense.” Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, who has championed victims of sexual assault in the military for more than a decade, pressed Hegseth on how he could lead an organization where about 18% of active-duty troops are women and a large portion are Democrats. Gillibrand said she understood that controversial comments Hegseth has made in the past came when he had a different job. But she noted that as recently as November, when he should have known he could be tapped by the incoming Trump administration, he said in a podcast interview that the U.S. “should not have women in combat roles” and that “men in those positions are more capable.” “Please explain these types of statements because they’re brutal, and they’re mean, and they disrespect men and women who are willing to die for this country,” Gillibrand said.  Hegseth insisted that he respects women who can serve in the uniform, but said that his issue is with physical fitness standards, which he claimed have been lowered to allow women — a charge Gillibrand said was not true. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., grilled Hegseth on his time running two veterans nonprofits which, according to The New Yorker, ended when he was forced out over concerns about his management of donor funds and workplace behavior. Hegseth says that he is proud of his management and “every dollar spent” at the organizations. Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, referenced an NBC News reporting that Hegseth’s drinking concerned his colleagues at Fox News. While denying he had a drinking problem, Hegseth repeated his commitment to not drink alcohol during his tenure as defense secretary, if confirmed. The top Democrat on the panel, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, said Hegseth’s past issues would “disqualify any service member from holding any leadership position in the military,” let alone the Pentagon’s top job. The longtime member and former chairman of the Armed Services Committee said that has voted for every defense secretary nominee who has come before him, including during Trump’s first term, but that he could not support Hegseth. “Unfortunately, you lack the character, composure and competence to hold the position of secretary of defense,” Reed said. A key vote on the Armed Services Committee will be that of Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a military veteran and sexual assault survivor who has voiced past skepticism of Hegseth’s bid. She began her questioning by introducing a letter from a Hegseth supporter before asking if he would support women continuing to serve in combat roles. “My answer is yes,” Hegseth responded. “Yes, women will have access to ground combat roles, combat roles, given the standards remain high, and we’ll have a review to ensure the standards have not been eroded in any one of these cases.” This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News: Jack Smith pens biting defense of Jan. 6 probe, says jury would have convicted Trump Pete Hegseth’s FBI background check doesn’t include interviews with key women from his past Hunter Biden special counsel dings President Joe Biden over pardon