Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has removed at least six Army officers from a promotion list for two-star general, escalating a pattern of intervention that has alarmed lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
A person familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the removals to The Hill, with reports indicating that seven officers were targeted in total.
Among those removed, two of the officers are Black and two are female, raising fresh concerns about the criteria being used to make these decisions.
The latest removals follow a similar action taken just days earlier, when Hegseth blocked four Army officers from ascending to one-star rank.
Some of those previously blocked officers had ties to former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, whom Hegseth ousted in early April, and Gen. Chris Donahue, who commanded U.S. Army Europe and Africa before retiring earlier this summer.
Earlier in the year, Hegseth pulled four Army officers from a separate one-star general promotion list, a move that drew the displeasure of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.
That earlier list also included two women and two Black men, drawing a pattern of criticism regarding the demographic profile of those being removed.
Democratic Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Brian Schatz of Hawaii formally demanded an independent investigation by the Pentagon Inspector General into Hegseth’s promotion blocks back in July.
In their letter, the senators wrote that “Secretary Hegseth’s alleged use of his personal views and perceptions on race and gender to interfere with the promotion process completely nullifies the extensive, competitive, rigorous and merit-based vetting process of candidates that the selection boards put forward.”
The promotion selection process is typically regarded as one of the most rigorous and merit-driven systems within the U.S. military, making the interventions particularly contentious among critics and military observers.
Hegseth’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the latest round of removals, leaving the rationale for each individual decision publicly unexplained.
The repeated removal of officers from promotion lists by the defense secretary has become one of the most divisive issues between the Pentagon and congressional leaders since Hegseth assumed the role.
