U.S. Hegseth Blocks Nine Air Force Promotions
According to the report, Hegseth is targeting officers on the basis of race or gender, ties to the previous administration's diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, or what he perceives as insufficient loyalty. The identities of the nine passed-over Air Force officers remain undisclosed. The Pentagon chief has also delayed or blocked senior Army and Navy promotions, The Wall Street Journal added.
Hegseth entered office vowing to purge what he labeled "woke" admirals and generals, arguing that former President Joe Biden's administration had elevated some officers to satisfy diversity quotas rather than on merit. Since his confirmation last year, he has fired or sidelined more than 20 flag officers — among them Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. C.Q. Brown, who is Black, and Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Navy's first female chief of operations.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell pushed back on the characterization, insisting that military promotions are determined solely by merit and that the Pentagon "will never consider the color of a service member's skin or their gender as a factor in promotions."
US law reserves exclusively for the president the authority to strike an officer's name from a promotion list — the Pentagon chief may recommend removal, but only through a formal written request to the president. Whether Hegseth adhered to that legal process remains unclear, according to the report.
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