Hegseth removes 2 Black and 2 female officers from promotion list: Report

The Hill
by Ellen Mitchell
March 27, 2026
3 min read

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed two Black and two female Army officers from promotion consideration to one-star general.

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed two Black and two female Army officers from a promotion list to one-star general positions, according to reporting by The New York Times. Hegseth had spent months pressing senior Army leadership, including Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, to strike the names, but faced repeated resistance before taking unilateral action earlier this month. The move raises questions about promotion standards and potential discrimination in the military's highest ranks at a time when diversity in senior command remains a contentious political issue. The blocked officers had been considered qualified candidates for advancement under previous vetting processes. The incident underscores ongoing tensions within the Pentagon over personnel decisions and the direction of military leadership under the Trump administration.

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