Hegseth strikes female and black navy officers from promotion list

WASHINGTON – In a move that disproportionately targets women and minority officers, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently blocked the promotions of at least seven Navy officers who had been selected by a board of senior Navy admirals.

The net result of Hegseth’s intervention is a slate of 22 nominees to be one-star admirals that bears little resemblance to the broader force these officers will help lead.

At least two of the officers removed by Hegseth from the promotion list are women, and two are Black men. An additional three are white men.

Hegseth’s actions, which appear to violate the rules governing a promotion system that is supposed to be apolitical and merit-based, were described by four current and former defence officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters.

No female officers were included on the new one-star list, which was released publicly in late May, despite the fact that women make up about 21 per cent of the active-duty Navy.

The list appears to include only two non-white officers, even though sailors who identify as racial minorities make up about 38 per cent of the active-duty Navy.

Hegseth’s removal of the officers from the one-star list is highly unusual, the current and former defence officials said. According to Pentagon rules, the defence secretary is only supposed to pull officers from the list for moral, mental, physical or professional failings that raise questions about the officers’ fitness to lead.

Hegseth’s actions are the latest in a series of firings and personnel interventions that seem to be driven by his anti-diversity politics rather than the officers’ performance. Taken together, they could reshape the military’s top ranks for years to come.

Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson, declined to say why Hegseth pulled the officers off the Navy one-star list.

“Military promotions are given to those who have earned them,” Parnell said. “The department will never consider the color of a service member’s skin or their gender as a factor in promotions.”

The Navy declined to comment.

Since taking office, Hegseth has fired or sidelined nearly three dozen senior military officers as part of a broader campaign designed to purge the Pentagon of leaders he has disparaged as “foolish,” “reckless” and “woke”.

He has consistently refused to explain why he has chosen to fire officers or pull them from promotion lists. NYTIMES