Photo: JAM STA ROSA / AFP / Getty Images
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly blocked the promotions of at least seven Navy officers who had already been selected by a board of senior Navy admirals — a move that disproportionately targeted women and minority officers.
According to HuffPost, of the 22 nominees ultimately put forward for one-star admiral, just two non-white officers made the list, and not a single woman. At least two of the officers Hegseth removed are women, and two are Black men. That matters in context: women make up 21% of active-duty Navy personnel, and people of color account for 38% — the New York Times reported on Monday (June 1) — yet the final promotion slate looks nothing like the force it's supposed to lead.
This is not the first time. In March, Hegseth blocked two Black Army officers and two female Army officers from being promoted to one-star generals, producing a promotion list that was overwhelmingly white and male. Since taking office, Hegseth has blocked or fired at least two dozen admirals and generals — and among them, his inner circle's favorite Navy SEAL Capt.
William Francis Jr., who has been repeatedly passed over by previous promotion boards, is now being pushed forward by Hegseth for elevation.
The pattern is unmistakable. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, testified that nearly 60% of the senior officers Hegseth has fired are female or Black — even though women and minorities make up fewer than 20% of all generals and admirals.
In Senate testimony reported by the New York Times, Reed told Hegseth directly: "You are hollowing out the military's bench of experience and highest-performing senior officers, while making young officers wonder if they should continue to serve."
In a separate statement to NBC News, Reed also warned that Hegseth's interventions "would run counter to the law, longstanding practice, and tradition that accessions and promotions within the military services be based on 'individual merit and demonstrated performance.'"
Just days before this latest round of blocked promotions, Hegseth delivered a commencement address at West Point, where he declared: "Diversity is not our strength. Unity is our strength."
The Pentagon, for its part, denied any wrongdoing. "Military promotions are given to those who have earned them," spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement. "Under President Trump and Secretary Hegseth, meritocracy reigns supreme."
The numbers tell a different story.
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