Pete Hegseth removes all women and some Black service members from navy promotion list
Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, has removed women and some Black service members from a navy promotion list, resulting in an all-male and predominantly white group of nominees for admiral positions. This action has drawn criticism for violating merit-based promotion rules and continuing a trend against diversity in the military. The Pentagon has denied that race or gender were factors in the promotions, asserting that meritocracy is the guiding principle.
- ▪Hegseth stripped nine navy officers, including women and Black service members, from a promotion list.
- ▪The original list included three women and two Black officers, but only two Black officers remained after Hegseth's intervention.
- ▪The Pentagon stated that military promotions are based solely on merit and not influenced by race or gender.
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Midshipmen in formation at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Photograph: VisionsofAmerica/Joe Sohm/Getty ImagesView image in fullscreenMidshipmen in formation at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Photograph: VisionsofAmerica/Joe Sohm/Getty ImagesPete HegsethPete Hegseth removes all women and some Black service members from navy promotion listDefense secretary’s latest interposition resulted in all-male, overwhelmingly white picks for promotion to admiralty US politics live – latest updates Richard Luscombe, Joseph Gedeon and Aram RostonWed 3 Jun 2026 15.01 EDTLast modified on Wed 3 Jun 2026 15.29 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleThe US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, stripped nine navy officers including women and Black service members from a promotion list last…
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