Hegseth Removes All Women From Navy Admiral Promotions, June 04

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed nine Navy officers from a promotion list last month, leaving 22 nominees for one-star admiral positions with no women and only two non-White officers. The Navy is 21 percent women and 38 percent minority. Hegseth’s intervention violated military rules that require the defense secretary to approve or reject entire promotion slates, not individual names. The move mirrors similar removals in the Army in March and signals a broader shift in military leadership selection.

How Hegseth Bypassed Promotion Rules

Military regulations require the defense secretary to accept or reject a full promotion list chosen by senior officers. Hegseth instead reached into the list and removed individual names, a power he does not legally hold. The nine officers he struck included three women and two Black men. A Navy source said officials had been “very confident” with all officers on the original list, including those Hegseth removed. One government source said Hegseth “went through the list and scrubbed a few names” based on military occupational specialties, gender, and race.

The Numbers Show a Stark Shift

The final slate of 22 admiral nominees is all-male and overwhelmingly white. The Navy workforce is roughly 21 percent women and 38 percent minority, making the promoted list far whiter and more male than the force it will lead. Of the nine officers Hegseth removed, three are women and two are Black men. Nearly 60 percent of senior officers Hegseth has fired are women or Black, according to Senate Democrats.

A Pattern Across the Military

Hegseth applied the same approach to Army promotions in March, directing the Army Secretary to remove two women and two Black officers from a general promotion list. The pattern extends the Trump administration’s push to eliminate diversity programs from the armed forces. Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, warned that Hegseth is “hollowing out the military’s bench of experience and highest-performing senior officers, while making young officers wonder if they should continue to serve.”

Pentagon Defends the Decisions

The Pentagon disputed that Hegseth blocked promotions based on race or gender. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said military promotions go to those who earned them and that “meritocracy reigns supreme” under Trump and Hegseth. The Pentagon did not explain why Hegseth removed the officers or provide details on his selection criteria. The original promotion board spent weeks reviewing hundreds of personnel files, with only 5 percent of eligible officers selected.

Final Thoughts

Hegseth’s removal of women and minority officers from Navy and Army promotion lists violates established military rules and creates leadership ranks that do not reflect the force. The pattern signals a fundamental shift in how the Pentagon selects senior commanders.

FAQs

Disclaimer:

The content shared by Meyka AI PTY LTD is solely for research and informational purposes.  Meyka is not a financial advisory service, and the information provided should not be considered investment or trading advice.