Pete Hegseth Reportedly Blocking Black and Female U.S. Navy Officers From Promotions, Report Says
A new report has raised questions about how senior military promotions are being handled inside the U.S. Department of Defense. According to a Monday report from The New York Times, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth allegedly intervened to block the promotions of at least seven U.S. Navy officers who had been under consideration for advancement. The report said the group included two women, two Black men, and three white men.
The alleged removals have drawn attention because of the makeup of the final promotion list. The Times reported that no women appeared on the most recent list released in May, even though women make up about one-fifth of active-duty Navy personnel. It also said only two non-white officers were included, despite racial minorities representing a much larger share of the Navy’s ranks.
The report quoted four current and former defense officials who described the intervention as highly unusual. It comes after earlier reports that Hegseth has taken an unusually active role in reviewing promotions across multiple branches of the armed forces.
The Pentagon strongly rejected the claims. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on X that the department does not consider race or gender in promotion decisions and that promotions are awarded based on merit. In a statement to The New York Times, he repeated that military promotions go to those who have earned them and that the department “will never consider the color of a service member’s skin or their gender” as factors in advancement.
The controversy is not the first to surface under Hegseth’s leadership. Earlier this year, NBC News reported that promotions in several military branches had allegedly been delayed or blocked amid concerns related to race, gender, or ties to policies associated with the Biden administration. One official told NBC that no branch of the military had been untouched by that level of involvement.
In March, The New York Times also reported that promotions involving two female U.S. Army officers and two Black Army officers were blocked from moving up to one-star general positions.
The latest report has also prompted criticism from lawmakers. Democratic Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, said Hegseth has turned personnel decisions into part of a broader culture war inside the Pentagon. Smith argued that experienced military leaders have been sidelined and warned that such turmoil could weaken morale, stability, and trust within the armed forces.
For now, the matter remains disputed. Critics say the reported numbers and pattern of blocked promotions raise serious concerns about fairness and influence at the top of the military chain of command. Pentagon officials, however, insist that promotions are based strictly on qualifications and merit, with no consideration given to race or gender.
