Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth blocked at least seven senior Navy officers from promotion to one-star admiral after a Navy board selected them, according to reports published June 1, 2026, in Washington and confirmed by multiple outlets.
Shortly after that report was published, The Wall Street Journal reported that eight Navy captains had been denied promotions and that Hegseth was also trying to prevent several one-star admirals from advancing in rank.
Highlights
- Hegseth blocked at least seven Navy officers from promotion to one-star admiral after a Navy board selected them.
- One decorated nuclear-trained officer reportedly drew scrutiny over a diversity-related recruiting role she held two decades ago.
- The May 22 Navy promotion list included no women and only two nonwhite officers.
- The Pentagon denies race or gender motivated the decisions and says critics are framing the issue unfairly.
- Sen. Jack Reed said nearly 60% of senior officers Hegseth has fired are female or Black.
Current and former Navy officials told reporters the officers appeared to face scrutiny over past ties to diversity-related work, including one nuclear-trained surface warfare officer whose name appeared on a website seeking to purge "woke" military personnel.
The Pentagon denies race or gender drove the decisions, while lawmakers and veterans' groups say the Navy list fits a broader pattern under Hegseth.
A decades-old diversity role, a 'woke' watchlist, and a Navy career on the line
Image credits: U.S. Department of Defense / Wikimedia Commons
The New York Times first reported the blocked Navy promotions. ABC News, NBC News, and other outlets later confirmed key details through officials familiar with the moves.
One case drew particular attention because of how far back the alleged issue went. The officer, a decorated nuclear-trained surface warfare officer, had helped recruit women and minorities in a role she held about two decades ago. A website that seeks to identify "woke" military officers recently listed her and described her as a "diversity liaison officer."
The official promotion list released by the Pentagon on May 22 included only two nonwhite officers, even though about 38% of the Navy identifies as racial minorities, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Women make up about 21% of the Navy, but none appeared on that list.
Hegseth has made his view of military diversity programs clear. In a May 23 graduation address at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, he said, "Diversity is not our strength. Unity is our strength," after accusing past leadership of being "woke and weak."
The Pentagon has rejected the idea that Hegseth targeted officers because of race or gender. Pentagon Chief Spokesman Sean Parnell dismissed the reporting in a statement quoted by AOL.
Lawmakers question whether merit or politics now drives the senior officer pipeline
Image credits: CNE CNA C6F / Flickr
In February 2025, President Trump fired Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown — the second African American to hold the job — after Hegseth had publicly called for his ouster, and in the same wave of dismissals Hegseth announced the firing of Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to serve as the Navy's top uniformed officer.
On March 27, 2026, Hegseth stopped the promotions of four Army officers, two Black men and two women, who had been on track to become one-star generals, according to NPR. In April, NBC News reported that he had intervened in promotions for more than a dozen senior officers across the armed services.
Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, framed the removals as part of a political fight inside the Pentagon.
Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in recent testimony that nearly 60% of senior officers Hegseth has fired are female or Black. He also warned, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, "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."
Some Republicans have also pressed for specifics. Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia said during a hearing, "I'm less worried about the race and the gender than if he did or he didn't do it. Did he pull four names from the list, as has been reported?"
The promotion fight also includes a push from Hegseth to elevate Navy SEAL Capt. William Francis Jr., a member of his inner circle who has been repeatedly passed over for promotion to admiral, according to Raw Story. For now, the Pentagon's official position remains that merit, not identity, drives the decisions.