Hegseth Reportedly Removes Minority Officers from Promotion List
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is reportedly attempting to block four Army officers, two women and two Black men, from promotion to one-star generals, though his motivations remain unclear. The New York Times reported that Hegseth allegedly removed the officers’ names from the promotion list himself after Army Secretary Dan Driscoll refused to do so, citing their excellent records. While Hegseth has advocated for promotions based solely on merit and expressed a desire to eliminate “woke” policies, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell denied the report, stating that promotions are merit-based and apolitical. Some military officials have reportedly pushed back on Hegseth’s approach, which has also led to other changes in military leadership.