Hegseth blocked female, minority Navy officers from promotion, report says

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has reportedly blocked the promotion of nine Navy officers, including three women and two Black men, to the rank of one-star admiral. These officers had already been selected by a board of senior Navy admirals before Hegseth intervened.

Multiple current and former defense officials told The New York Times that the promotion system is designed to be merit-based and apolitical. They described Hegseth's actions as highly unusual. Pentagon rules stipulate that the defense secretary should only remove officers from promotion lists for mental, moral, or professional failings that would affect their ability to perform in a new role.

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Military promotions are given to those who have earned them.

The report highlighted that after Hegseth's edits, none of the remaining 22 one-star admiral nominees were women, despite women comprising over a fifth of active-duty Navy personnel. Racial minorities, who make up about 38% of active-duty personnel, were also underrepresented. Some of the removed officers were reportedly targeted due to their participation in diversity-related events.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated that "Military promotions are given to those who have earned them," and "The department will never consider the color of a service member’s skin or their gender as a factor in promotions." He declined to provide specific reasons for Hegseth's decisions to the NYT. Prior to these removals, Hegseth had reportedly urged Navy officials to promote his special assistant, Capt. William Francis Jr., but Francis was not selected due to a lack of necessary experience.

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The department will never consider the color of a service member’s skin or their gender as a factor in promotions.