WATCH: Hegseth faces sharp questioning at House hearing as he testifies on defense budget

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared to acknowledge that the Pentagon has developed plans to take over Greenland and Panama by force if necessary but refused to answer repeated questions during a hotly combative congressional hearing Thursday about his use of Signal chats to discuss military operations.

Watch Hegseth testify at a House hearing in the player above.

Democratic members of the House Armed Services Committee repeatedly got into heated exchanges with Hegseth, with some of the toughest lines of questioning coming from military veterans as many demanded yes or no answers and he tried to avoid direct responses about his actions as Pentagon chief.

In a heated exchange with Washington Democrat Rep. Adam Smith, the defense secretary confirmed that the Pentagon has drafted plans to take Greenland and Panama by force if necessary.

WATCH: Hegseth says Pentagon has Greenland plans ‘for any number of contingencies’

“I don’t think the American people voted for President Trump because they were hoping we would invade Greenland,” Smith said.

“I think the American people would want the Pentagon to have plans for any particular contingency,” Hegseth responded.

Drawing up contingency plans for potential conflicts is not unusual at the Pentagon, but Trump wants to increase U.S. influence in Panama and has suggested the U.S. military take Greenland, which has become more strategic as the U.S. seeks to bolster defenses against China.

“Greenland is not for sale,” said Jacob Isbosethsen, the government’s representative to the U.S., pushing back Thursday at an Arctic Institute forum in Washington.

Hegseth, Marine Corps veteran go rounds on Signal use

Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., harshly questioned Hegseth on his use of the Signal app to share military attack plans. Moulton revealed that the Pentagon’s inspector general report of the secretary’s Signal is expected in days.

Moulton, who served in the military as a Marine, asked Hegseth whether he would hold himself accountable if the inspector general finds that he placed classified information on the app.

Hegseth would not directly say if he would hold himself accountable, saying only that he serves “at the pleasure of the president.”

In a dizzying exchange on the military strike information that Hegseth shared on at least two group Signal chats — one including Cabinet members and a second group chat that included his wife and brother — Hegseth tried to argue that the classification markings of any information about those military operations details could not be discussed with lawmakers at Thursday’s hearing.

That became a quick trap, as Hegseth has tried to argue that nothing he posted — on strike times and munitions dropped on Houthis in Yemen — was classified. Moulton jumped on the disparity.

“You can very well disclose whether or not it was classified,” Moulton said.

“What’s not classified is that it was an incredibly successful mission,” Hegseth responded.