Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth blocked at least seven officers from being promoted to one-star admirals in what appears to be his latest attack on diversity and “woke” beliefs in the military’s upper ranks, according to a report Monday.
Hegseth’s move targeted at least two women, two Black men and three white men, and it appeared to violate the U.S. military’s apolitical and merit-based promotion rules, four unidentified current and former defense officials told The New York Times.
Shortly after that report was published, The Wall Street Journal said that eight Navy captains had been denied promotions and that Hegseth was also trying to prevent several one-star admirals from advancing in rank.
The moves mark the latest in a series of firings and personnel decisions by Hegseth and came just days after he delivered an incendiary speech to graduates of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, where he attacked previous leaders as having been “woke and weak.”
”Diversity is not our strength. Unity is our strength,” Hegseth said.
In response to an inquiry from The Independent, the Navy declined to comment on the blocked promotions and referred The Independent to the Pentagon, where chief spokesman Sean Parnell said in a prepared statement that “military promotions are given to those who have earned them. The Department will never consider the color of a service member’s skin or their gender as a factor in promotions.”
Parnell also repeated an insult favored by President Donald Trump by saying, “The Failing New York Times continues to push this worn out narrative because they view almost everything through the lens of race and gender over merit.”
The New York Times didn’t immediately respond to an inquiry from The Independent.
In addition to the blocked promotions, Hegseth wants to elevate at least one member of his inner circle, Navy SEAL Capt. William Francis Jr., who’s been repeatedly passed over for promotion to admiral, The Journal said, citing unidentified current and former U.S. officials.
Francis couldn’t be reached for comment, The Journal said.
Since being confirmed as Trump’s defense secretary, Hegseth has blocked or fired at least two dozen admirals and generals, according to The Journal.
In February 2025, Hegseth fired Adm. Lisa Franchetti as the first female chief of naval operations, and he recommended that Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown, the second African American chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, be fired for his “woke” focus on diversity, equity and inclusion before Trump replaced Brown with Gen. Dan Caine.
In March, he also reportedly removed the names of two Black men and two women from a list of Army officers slated to become one-star generals.
The latest promotions blocked by Hegseth left 22 nominees on a list that was released publicly late last month and appears to include only two nonwhite officers, even though about 38 percent of the Navy comprises people who identify as racial minorities, according to The Times.
Women make up about 21 percent of the Navy, but none were on the list, The Times said.
Current and former Navy officials reportedly said the officers struck from the “one-star list” were apparently targeted because they took part in a diversity-related event years or decades earlier.
One officer’s name showed up recently on a website that seeks to purge “woke” officers from the military and claimed that she had worked as a “diversity liaison officer” two decades ago to help the Navy recruit and retain women and minorities, The Times said.
