Pete Hegseth 'Blocks Promotions' of Black and Female Army Officers Amid Trump DEI Crackdown

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has blocked the promotions of four senior Army officers — two Black men and two women — who had been recommended to advance to the rank of brigadier general. The decision, made amid the Trump administration's sweeping crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion programmes across the federal government, marks one of the most direct interventions into the military's standard promotion process in recent memory.

The four officers were among approximately three dozen on a one-star promotion list, the majority of whom are white men. Neither the Defence Department nor the White House has offered an explanation based on the officers' performance or record for Hegseth's decision. Two additional colonels from a separate military branch — one Black and one female — were also removed from their respective promotion lists, bringing the total number of blocked promotions to at least six.

Army Secretary Reportedly Refused Orders

Hegseth reportedly pressed senior Army leaders for months, including Secretary Dan Driscoll, to remove the officers' names but was repeatedly refused. Hegseth ultimately struck the names himself — a move that legal experts and military officials say may have exceeded his authority. Under standard procedure, a defence secretary is only empowered to approve or reject a promotion list in its entirety, a process designed to prevent individual officers from being targeted on the basis of race or gender.

Hegseth's chief of staff, Ricky Buria, reportedly told Driscoll that Trump would not want to stand next to a Black female officer at military events. Driscoll insisted the 'president is not a racist or sexist,' and raised the matter with a senior White House official.

The four officers include a Black armour officer and combat veteran, reportedly targeted because of a paper he wrote nearly 15 years ago that examined why Black officers historically have opted for support jobs over combat positions. A female logistics officer was removed after having served in Afghanistan during the 2021 withdrawal under President Biden, despite current and former military officials saying she performed her job well under the circumstances. It remains unclear why the two other officers, one in logistics and the other a finance specialist, were removed.

Pentagon Denies Wrongdoing

The Pentagon has disputed the reports. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement that the reporting was 'fake news,' adding: 'Under Secretary Hegseth, military promotions are given to those who have earned them. Meritocracy, which reigns in this Department, is apolitical and unbiased.'

Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he was looking into the allegations. 'If these reports are accurate, Secretary Hegseth's decision to remove four decorated officers from a promotion list after having been selected by their peers for their merit and performance is not only outrageous, it would be illegal,' he said. 'Denying the promotions of individual officers based on their race or gender would betray every principle of merit-based service military officers uphold throughout their careers.'

Critics Cite Pattern of Targeting Minority Officers

Jose Vasquez, executive director of Common Defense and an Army veteran, said: 'This moment should not be separated from a broader, documented pattern. Since taking office, Hegseth has fired generals, renamed ships, and systematically targeted women and people of color in uniform. He is not making our military more lethal. He is making it more loyal to him and that is the true threat to national security and military readiness.'

Hegseth fired Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen CQ Brown, the second African American to hold the job, and Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to serve among the Joint Chiefs, in both cases without explanation. That decision left no women in the top ranks of military leadership.

'The depth of Secretary Hegseth's prejudice is only overshadowed by the breadth of his incompetence,' said Richard Brookshire, co-founder and co-CEO of the Black Veterans Project. 'The Trump administration is intent on instituting a caste system across our military, whereby anyone who isn't white, male, straight and Christian is deemed less capable and deserving of leading our troops. Americans must all reject his bigoted, nonsensical and dangerous beliefs.'

Hegseth himself has been vocal about his views on military promotions. 'For too long, we've promoted too many uniform leaders for the wrong reasons — based on their race, based on gender quotas, based on historic so-called firsts,' he said in a speech to high-ranking officers in November. The promotion list remains under White House review before heading to the Senate for confirmation. Retired Major General Paul Eaton has warned that Hegseth's policies could affect retention and recruitment, noting that women are watching what happened to Admiral Franchetti. The legality of Hegseth's intervention remains unresolved.