Not surprisingly, given the large defense presence in the Jacksonville area, Bennett was somewhat hawkish on defense policy. He was in line to become chairman of the House Armed Services Committee in 1985, one of the most powerful panels in the body; he had served on that committee for virtually all of his House career. However, he was defeated for the post by Les Aspin. While Aspin had far less seniority than Bennett, his views on defense policy were more in line with the rest of the Democratic Caucus.