US defence secretary Pete Hegseth has removed nine officers from a navy promotion list, disproportionately targeting women and minority officers, according to a report by The New York Times.
Hegseth removed at least three women, two Black men and four white men from the one-star admiral promotion list. The final slate of 22 nominees bears little resemblance to the broader force, with no female officers included despite women making up 21 per cent of active-duty navy personnel. Only two non-white officers were included, though 38 per cent of the force identify as racial minorities.
Four current and former defence officials, speaking anonymously to The New York Times, said Hegseth's actions appear to violate the rules governing the apolitical, merit-based promotion system. According to Pentagon rules, the defence secretary is supposed to pull officers from the list only for moral, mental, physical or professional failings that raise questions about fitness to lead.
The officials called Hegseth's removal of officers from the one-star list "highly unusual."
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell denied the report in a statement on X, calling The New York Times "failing" and its work "race-baiting garbage."
"They continue to push this worn-out narrative because they view almost everything through the lens of race and gender over merit. As we've said before, military promotions are given to those who have earned them. The Department will never consider the colour of a service member's skin or their gender as a factor in promotions," Parnell said.
"Under President Trump and @SecWar Hegseth, meritocracy reigns supreme at the War Department," he added.
The report comes after Hegseth, who has disparaged some military leaders as "foolish," "reckless" and "woke," has fired or sidelined nearly three dozen senior military officers since taking office. He has consistently refused to explain why he has fired officers or pulled them from promotion lists.
According to Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, nearly 60 per cent of the senior officers Hegseth has fired are female or Black. Women and minorities currently account for fewer than 20 per cent of all generals and admirals.
In March, The New York Times reported that Hegseth had blocked the promotions of two women army officers and two Black army officers to one-star generals.
