Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has blocked the promotions of at least nine senior Navy officers selected by a board of admirals, with women and minority officers disproportionately affected.
The move comes as Hegseth has now intervened in promotion lists across multiple military branches, sidelining or removing more than 40 senior officers since taking office.
Seven Admirals, Five Women or People of Color
The officers removed were part of a list of 22 candidates chosen by a board of senior admirals after reviewing careers spanning over 25 years. The nine blocked from promotion include at least five women or people of color. The officers affected include Rear Adm. Amy Bauernschmidt, who made history in 2020 as the first woman to command a US Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
The result is the first time in more than a decade that the Navy has not promoted an active-duty woman to admiral. Women make up 21% of the active-duty Navy, but only about 7% of its admirals are women.
Pattern of Intervention
Hegseth has not publicly explained his reasoning. But he has repeatedly argued the military has focused too much on promoting women and people of color instead of selecting candidates based solely on merit. In his 2024 book, The War on Warriors, Hegseth wrote:
“Affirmative action promotions have skyrocketed with ‘firsts’ being the most important factor in filling new commands. We will not stop until trans-lesbian Black females run everything!”
Since taking office, Hegseth has fired, sidelined, or removed more than 40 senior military officers from promotion lists and more than two dozen generals and admirals. Reports indicate more than half of those affected have been women or Black officers.
Questions Over Legality
In a July 6 letter, seven Democratic senators questioned Hegseth’s decisions, saying the move appeared to ignore the officers’ achievements and may have violated Pentagon policy. Under Pentagon rules, officers can be removed from promotion lists only over concerns about their moral, mental, physical, or professional ability.
Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said:
“Women and minorities make up fewer than twenty percent of the general officer corps, yet they account for nearly sixty percent of those Secretary Hegseth has fired or sidelined. That disparity does not happen by accident.”
The Bottom Line
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has blocked the promotion of at least nine Navy officers, including five women or people of color, from a list of one-star admirals. The officers were selected by a board of senior admirals but were removed without public explanation. The move follows a pattern of Hegseth intervening in promotion lists across multiple military branches, with women and minority officers disproportionately affected. Democratic senators have questioned the legality of the decision under Pentagon policy.
