No Women, Few Minorities: How Hegseth Reshaped The Navy's Future Leadership
No Women, Few Minorities: How Hegseth Reshaped The Navy's Future Leadership Published By, Last Updated: June 02, 2026, 09:22 IST The revised slate of 22
No Women, Few Minorities: How Hegseth Reshaped The Navy's Future Leadership Published By, Last Updated: June 02, 2026, 09:22 IST The revised slate of 22 nominees for one-star admiral, released publicly in late May, differs significantly from the composition of the broader Navy force. Rapid Read US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. (Reuters) US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has removed nine Navy officers from a list of candidates selected for promotion to the rank of one-star admiral, a move that has drawn scrutiny because it disproportionately affected women and minority officers. According to five current and former defence officials familiar with the matter, three women, two Black men and four white men were dropped from the promotion list after Hegseth’s intervention. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the personnel decisions, the New York Times reported. The revised slate of 22 nominees for one-star admiral, released publicly in late May, differs significantly from the composition of the broader Navy force. No women were included on the list despite women accounting for about 21 per cent of active-duty Navy personnel. The list also appears to contain only two nonwhite officers, although racial minorities make up roughly 38 per cent of active-duty sailors. Current and former defence officials described the removals as highly unusual. Under Pentagon rules, a defence secretary is generally expected to remove an officer from a promotion list only in cases involving moral, mental, physical or professional concerns that call into question the individual’s suitability for leadership. The move is part of a broader pattern of personnel actions under Hegseth that critics say have been driven by opposition to diversity initiatives rather than performance-related concerns. Officials and lawmakers have warned that such decisions could have long-term effects on the composition of senior military leadership. Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, declined to provide specific reasons for the removals. “Military promotions are given to those who have earned them," Parnell said. “The department will never consider the colour of a service member’s skin or their gender as a factor in promotions." The Navy declined to comment.
Since assuming office, Hegseth has removed or sidelined nearly three dozen senior military officers as part of a wider effort to reshape Pentagon leadership. He has publicly criticised some military leaders as “foolish," “reckless", and “woke," but has generally declined to explain the rationale behind individual dismissals or promotion interventions. According to Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, nearly 60 per cent of the senior officers removed by Hegseth have been women or Black officers, despite women and minorities making up less than 20 per cent of the military’s generals and admirals, the NYT added. “You are hollowing out the military’s bench of experience and highest-performing senior officers, while making young officers wonder if they should continue to serve," Reed told Hegseth at another recent hearing. Among the senior officers previously dismissed were Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the second African American to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to lead the Navy. Earlier this year, Hegseth also removed four Army colonels from a promotion list for a one-star general. The officers included two Black men and two women. Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll reportedly objected to the decision, maintaining that all four had exemplary records and had committed no wrongdoing. Promotion to one-star rank is one of the most competitive advancement processes in the US military. Boards composed of admirals or generals review hundreds of personnel records over meetings that can last up to two weeks, with only about five per cent of eligible officers selected. After selection, promotion lists are reviewed by service secretaries and the defence secretary. Pentagon rules allow names to be removed only under limited circumstances, such as the emergence of information raising concerns about an officer’s qualifications. Military officials said Hegseth’s interventions have created uncertainty and concern among senior ranks because the reasons behind the decisions have not been publicly disclosed. The lack of transparency has frustrated lawmakers from both parties.
During an April hearing, Representative Austin Scott, a Republican from Georgia, questioned Gen. Christopher C. LaNeve, the acting Army chief of staff, about reports that officers had been removed from an Army promotion list. “I’m less worried about the race and the gender than if he did or he didn’t do it," Scott said. “Did he pull four names from the list, as has been reported?" General LaNeve responded that the question should be directed to Hegseth. “Well, if I could get anybody over there to respond, I would," Scott replied. When Hegseth later appeared before the House Armed Services Committee, he acknowledged removing names from the Army list but declined to discuss specific cases. “We don’t talk about that out of respect for those officers," he said. Instead, he argued that years of “gender and demographic engineering" had undermined military effectiveness. Current and former Navy officials also said that Hegseth broke with normal protocol by encouraging senior Navy leaders to include Capt. William Francis Jr., a Navy SEAL and one of his aides, on the one-star promotion list. Officials said Francis lacked the command experience required under board rules and was ultimately not selected. At a House Armed Services Committee hearing, Representative Chrissy Houlahan, a Democrat from Pennsylvania and an Air Force veteran, asked Hegseth whether he had directed the Navy to add a special operations officer who lacked the required command experience to the promotion list. “I’m not aware of what you’re referring to," Hegseth replied. According to current and former officials, some of the officers removed from the Navy list may have been targeted because of their involvement in diversity-related programmes years earlier. One officer whose promotion was blocked had served as a surface warfare officer, completed advanced nuclear power training and later worked as a senior aide to a four-star admiral at the Pentagon. Officials said she drew attention after her name appeared on a website dedicated to identifying what it described as “woke" military officers.
The website highlighted her role as a “diversity liaison officer" roughly two decades ago, where she helped recruit and retain women and minority personnel. Another female officer removed from the list served as both a Navy pilot and a foreign area officer, while a third led a major Navy medical command. Before joining the Pentagon, Hegseth had opposed women serving in combat roles. He later softened that stance, saying women could serve in combat provided they met the same physical standards as men. Critics, however, say his recent actions have raised fresh concerns about his views on women serving in senior military leadership positions. Retired Air Force lieutenant colonel Jessica Ruttenber, who flew refuelling tankers in Iraq and Afghanistan, said she was struck by the absence of women on the Navy’s one-star promotion list when it was released in late May. At the time, she was unaware that female officers had been removed from the list. “The military I left in 2021 feels very different from the one we are watching today," she wrote in an online essay. “In some ways, it feels like we are watching hard-won progress move backwards in real time. That is the part I cannot shake. Because if I am honest, I now find myself wondering: Would I want my own children to enter a system like this?" News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location: United States of America (USA) First Published: June 02, 2026, 09:22 IST News world No Women, Few Minorities: How Hegseth Reshaped The Navy's Future Leadership Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...
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