Pete Hegseth Accused of Blocking Promotions for Black Officers

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has actively worked to stop a dozen Black and female officers across all four branches of the military from being promoted based on either their affiliation with the Biden administration’s policies, their race, gender, or all of the above. 

NBC News reports that all four branches of the armed forces–Army, Air Force, Navy and the Marines–are structured to promote the most qualified officers regardless of race, gender or political affiliation. Hegseth’s involvement in the process has not only been strange, but he’s apparently involved himself in several processes that don’t normally need the Defense Secretary’s input.  

“There is not a single service that has been immune to this level of involvement by Hegseth,” one of the U.S. officials told NBC News. 

Two officials told the news site that the military is growing concerned with the White House and more specifically Hegseth’s blocking or stalling on promotions for qualified officers. They believed that Hegseth may be singling out military officers whom he believes shares the views or policies of the Biden administration. 

“On Thursday Hegseth fired the Army chief of staff, Gen. Randy George, whose term was expected to be four years ending in September 2027. George, the Army’s top officer, was senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during the Biden administration,” NBC News reports. 

“George recently asked to meet with Hegseth to discuss Hegseth’s blocking of promotions for some Army officers, which seemed to focus on women and Black men, but Hegseth refused to meet or discuss his decisions, according to two additional U.S. officials.”

Hegseth reportedly declared an end to “woke” culture at the Defense Department, last year, as he believed that members of the military were being awarded promotions based on diversity as opposed to merit. 

NBC News notes that some officers of color and women have been promoted during Hegseth’s tenure as secretary. 

“This story is full of fake news from anonymous sources who have no idea what they’re talking about and are far removed from actual decision-makers within the Pentagon,” Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told NBC News Friday. “Under Secretary Hegseth, military promotions are given to those who have earned them. Meritocracy, which reigns in this Department, is apolitical and unbiased.” 

See social media’s outrage over the alleged suppression below.