Hegseth removes 2 Black and 2 female officers from promotion list: Report

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reportedly blocked the promotion of two Black and two female Army officers to be one-star generals.

The New York Times reported Friday that Hegseth for months pressed senior Army leaders, including Secretary Dan Driscoll, to remove the officers’ names but was repeatedly refused. Then earlier this month, Hegseth struck the names from the list, which is being reviewed by the White House before being sent to the Senate for final approval. 

Asked about the report, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell called it “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.” 

He did not address Hegseth’s decision to pull the four officers from the promotion list, only saying that promotions “are given to those who have earned them.”

Hegseth’s move has raised questions as to whether the four officers targeted were removed because of their race or gender. The promotion list consists of roughly three dozen officers, most of whom are white men, but also contains a few female and Black officers, senior military officials told the Times.

The decision also comes after a tense exchange between Hegseth’s chief of staff Ricky Buria and Driscoll about a separate promotion for Maj. Gen. Antoinette Gant, a combat engineer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, to head the Military District of Washington.

Gant, who is Black, would be leading a command that provides security and performs ceremonial duties in Washington, D.C., often appearing alongside the sitting president at Arlington National Cemetery.

Buria told Driscoll that President Trump would not want to stand next to a Black female officer at military events, three current and former Defense and administration officials familiar with the exchange told the Times.

Driscoll reportedly replied, “The president is not a racist or sexist,” and Hegseth’s office eventually relented. Gant began serving in the role last summer and was promoted to two-star general earlier this month, according to the outlet.

Buria called the story “completely false.” 

“Whoever placed this made up story is clearly trying to sow division among our ranks in the Department and the administration. It’s not going to work, and it will never work when this Department is led by clear-eyed, mission driven leaders unfazed by Washington gossip,” Buria said in a statement to The Hill.

Since taking the role of Pentagon chief last year, Hegseth has sought to combat what he calls “woke” ideologies, including programs and policies that support diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the ranks.

Early in his job, the former Fox News host fired without explanation Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. CQ Brown — only the second African American to serve in the role — as well as the first female chief of naval operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti and a handful of other senior officers.

He has since also removed Air Force Lt. Gen. Jennifer Short, who served as the senior military assistant to the secretary of Defense; Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, the sole female flag officer on NATO’s Military Committee; and relocated from her post Vice Adm. Yvette Davids, the first female superintendent of the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

In total, Hegseth has either fired or sidelined at least two dozen generals and admirals, the Times found.

He also directed an overhaul of how officers are selected for promotion in a process led by retired Brig. Gen. Anthony Tata, the head of the Pentagon’s personnel office, who has a history of Islamophobic comments.

Trump in his first term nominated Tata to head the Pentagon’s policy office — after which he denounced his Islamophobic remarks and controversial comments he made about Democratic lawmakers and former President Obama — but he was never confirmed by the Senate.

The promotions overhaul work included reforms to the promotion and job selection process, with a mandate that the Defense Department “not consider sex, race, or ethnicity when considering individuals for promotion, command, or special duty.” 

The four officers whom Hegseth and his aides ordered Driscoll to remove from the promotion list include a Black armor officer and combat veteran, targeted because of a paper he wrote nearly 15 years ago that looked at why Black officers historically have opted for support jobs over combat positions, military officials told the Times.

A female logistics officer, meanwhile, was set apart as she had served in Afghanistan during the chaotic and deadly 2021 withdrawal under President Biden — despite current and former military officials saying she performed her job well under the circumstances.

It’s unclear why the two other officers, one in logistics and the other a finance specialist, were pulled from the list.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Montana Senate candidate says he will introduce bill to draft Graham if elected

Senate Democrats defeat amendment to require photo ID to vote

House GOP rejects Senate-passed DHS bill, proposes stopgap

Hegseth removes 2 Black and 2 female officers from promotion list: Report

Judge asked to take Trump name off Kennedy Center

House Democrats appear ready to back Senate DHS funding deal

Jeffries presses Johnson to pass Senate DHS bill; open to helping GOP with rule

Trump disapproval highest in both terms: Fox News poll

Live updates: Senate DHS bill wobbles as House GOP talks 8-week stopgap 

Freedom Caucus slams Senate DHS deal, complicating path to swift passage

Senate agrees to fund TSA and most of DHS, but not ICE

How Trump lost the war with Iran 

Trump slams ‘terrible’ Fox News polls

Florida wins after Trump takeover leave Democrats feeling brighter about ...

Trump’s order on birthright citizenship would harm millions, including ...

Are migrating Democrats turning Florida blue?

Sam Graves pulls reelection plans, will retire from Congress

Luna hosts Russian lawmakers to mixed GOP reactions, outrage from others

© The Hill