US EditionHegseth Removes Two Women and Two Black Men From Military Promotion List: NYT
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed four officers from a promotion list amid concerns the decision targets race and gender, affecting about 10% of candidates, officials said.
- Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth removed four Army officers—two women and two Black men—from a one-star general promotion list earlier this month, a move New York Times reporters describe as 'highly unusual' and prompting military officials to question whether officers were singled out because of race or gender.
- Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll repeatedly refused Hegseth's months-long pressure to remove the names, citing the officers' decades-long exemplary service records, as Hegseth pursued his broader agenda to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion policies since taking office in January 2025.
- According to the report, Hegseth's chief of staff Ricky Buria allegedly told Driscoll last summer that President Trump would not want to stand next to a Black female officer at military events during a heated exchange about Major General Antoinette Gant's promotion to commander of the Military District of Washington.
- Senior officials in Hegseth's office have debated whether he possesses legal authority for the unilateral removal; the promotion list now awaits White House review before Senate approval, with journalists noting it is exceedingly rare for a one-star list to draw such scrutiny.
- Hegseth's action aligns with his stated opposition to promotions based on 'immutable characteristics or quotas,' yet critics argue his culture-war focus distracts from Pentagon priorities; the move mirrors last summer's dispute over Major General Antoinette Gant's promotion, which ultimately succeeded after Hegseth's office backed down.
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Report points to blockade of female and African-American officials; Pentagon denies irregularities in the process
Pete Hegseth Removes 2 Black Officers From Promotion List
Source: JIM WATSON / Getty Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s “war on wokeness” appears to have taken a turn into blatant racism and sexism. Military officials are now questioning whether race and gender play a role in military promotions after Hegseth struck the names of two Black officers and two women officers from a promotion list of potential one-star generals. According to The New York Times, Hegseth had been pressing Army Secretary Daniel …
Joy Reid Lashes Out at Trump Crew As ‘Dumb Idiots’ and ‘A**holes’ Amid Pentagon Racism Bombshell
Independent media host Joy Reid slammed President Donald Trump’s administration as “dumb unqualified idiots” in response to the bombshell New York Times revelations about racism at the Pentagon. According to the report, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s chief of staff told a military leader that Trump doesn’t “want to stand next to a Black female officer at military events.” The report also said Hegseth struck two Black officers and two women …
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth apparently blocks the promotion of four officers, including two women and two blacks. Critics see the advance as undermining the actually performance-related military system.
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