Pete Hegseth Blocks Navy Promotions for Women and Black Officers

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth removed nine officers from a Navy promotion list for one-star admiral, including all three women and two Black men. The intervention reduced a slate of 31 candidates, previously approved by former Navy Secretary John Phelan and General Dan Caine, to a final list of 22 nominees. This result means no women will be promoted to one-star admiral this year, despite women comprising approximately 25% of all Navy officers.

These actions are part of a broader campaign by Hegseth to purge "woke" leadership and remove what he describes as gender and demographic engineering. He has fired or sidelined nearly three dozen senior officers, including former Navy top officer Admiral Lisa Franchetti and General Charles Q. Brown Jr. Senator Jack Reed testified that nearly 60% of these dismissals targeted female or Black officers, warning that the move hollows out the military's experience.

Hegseth also intervened in Army promotion lists, removing four colonels, including two women and two Black officers. Reports indicate some Navy officers were targeted due to their past roles as diversity liaisons. Additionally, Hegseth unsuccessfully attempted to secure a promotion for his special assistant, Capt. William Francis Jr., who lacked the required command experience.

The Pentagon denies that race or gender influenced these decisions, asserting that meritocracy governs the department. However, critics and former officials state the removals may violate apolitical promotion rules, which typically require the Secretary to cite specific professional or personal failings for such actions.