Civil Rights And Women’s Organizations Are Demanding Congressional Oversight As Questions Grow Over Hegseth’s Intervention In Senior Military Promotions
A coalition of 33 civil rights, women’s advocacy and other organizations is challenging Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over reports that he personally blocked promotions for Black officers and women, calling on him to comply with congressional oversight requests.
The NAACP and National Women’s Law Center led the coalition in a Sept. 16 letter that said the groups were “deeply concerned” about reports of Hegseth intervening in the advancement of African American and female service members. Other signers include the ACLU and National Action Network.
The organizations argue that Hegseth’s intervention coincides with a sharp decline in women reaching the military’s highest ranks and has prevented qualified Black officers from advancing.
“We call on you to comply with congressional requests for oversight,” the groups wrote. “The American public deserves to know whether their Secretary of Defense is making decisions in compliance with our laws and based on the skills and experiences of our service members or if his decisions are driven by racial and gender stereotypes.”
Women’s Share Of Top Promotions Drops
The dispute comes amid scrutiny of changes in the military’s senior leadership pipeline.
Women accounted for eight of 201 candidates nominated for high-ranking posts this year — about 4% — the lowest share in at least 25 years, according to data cited by Protect Our Defenders. At lower officer ranks, however, women received roughly 23% of nominations to captain and major, the highest share during the same 25-year period.
Hegseth has also blocked at least 40 senior officer promotions from reaching the Senate in recent months, with about half of those officers being women or people of color, according to reporting cited by the advocacy organizations.
In one case earlier this year, Hegseth removed nine officers from a Navy promotion list that originally contained 31 candidates. The officers removed included all three women on the list and two Black men, according to reporting by The Associated Press.
The coalition also pointed to the cases of Vice Adm. Sara Joyner and Rear Adm. Stephen D. Barnett. Military leaders had recommended both officers for advancement, but neither moved forward. Reporting indicated that Joyner had participated in efforts to encourage women in the Navy, while Barnett had publicly discussed recruiting and retaining minority officers.
Pentagon Rejects Discrimination Claims
The Pentagon has disputed allegations that race or gender is driving Hegseth’s promotion decisions.
Pentagon officials have repeatedly maintained that military promotions under Hegseth are based on merit rather than race or sex. Hegseth has similarly argued that the military should operate under what he describes as a colorblind and gender-neutral merit system focused on combat effectiveness.
The advocacy groups, however, are asking Congress to scrutinize how those decisions are being made, particularly because officers considered for senior promotions have already gone through military selection and review processes.
The dispute now centers not only on individual officers who were denied advancement, but on whether the defense secretary’s increased involvement is changing who ultimately reaches the highest levels of U.S. military leadership.
