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Hegseth 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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Marine Corps Times+2 Reposted by 2 other sources
Hegseth reportedly removes 2 Black, 2 female Army officers from 1-star promotion list
Hegset has blocked promotions of four Army officers — two Black men and two women — to the rank of brigadier general, the New York Times reported Friday.
·United States
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The US Secretary of War has warned in a book of war against woke culture and past appointments in the army. His interference in four appointments is rekindling criticism of racial and gender discrimination.
·Copenhagen, Denmark
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In Unusual Move, Hegseth Blocks 4 Officers' Promotions
The New York Times reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made the "exceedingly rare" decision to block the promotion of four Army officers to the status of one-star generals. Defense secretaries rarely get involved in such relatively nitty-gritty decisions, and the move in this case is especially sensitive: Two of...
·Miami, United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources26
Leaning Left11Leaning Right1Center7Last UpdatedBias Distribution58% Left
Bias Distribution
- 58% of the sources lean Left
58% Left
L 58%
C 37%
Factuality
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