Hegseth blocks promotions of several Navy officers to 1-star rank: Here’s why

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth officially halted the promotions to one-star admirals of multiple Navy officers despite the crucial fact that they had already been selected for promotion by a board of senior Navy admirals.

Defense Secretaries retain the authority to intervene for actual reasons; it is highly unusual to see Hegseth now blocking promotions to the one-star rank in both the Army and the Navy.

Notably, the Navy officers removed from the digital records included African Americans, women and white males. 

According to sources familiar with the current matter, these individuals were targeted for distinct reasons including their engagement and collaboration in military Diversity Equity and Inclusion initiatives.

Capt. William Francis Jr., a Navy SEAL serving as Hegseth’s assistant, observed his promotion sidelined by administrative or scheduling delays because he did not meet key criteria such as leading a major unit.

It is pertinent to mention that this pause comes amid broader changes under Hegseth whose tenure as defense secretary has been defined by a radical reversal of policies of what the administration characterizes as “woke” military policies.

In this regard, Pentagon’s chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said: “As we've said before, military promotions are given to those who have earned them. The Department will never consider the color of a service member's skin or their gender as a factor in promotions. Under President Trump and Secretary Hegseth, meritocracy reigns supreme at the War Department.”

Most importantly, Hegseth’s intervention in the Navy promotion list is similar to his intervention in the Army’s promotion list to brigadier generals, where four colonels were deleted from the list. The four colonels included two African Americans and two women.