NBC: US defence secretary accused of blocking promotions of black, female officers

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has taken steps to block or delay the promotions of more than a dozen Black and female senior officers across all four branches of the military, according to nine US officials familiar with the process who spoke to NBC News.

The promotion system within the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps is designed to ensure that the most qualified officers advance. However, Hegseth’s intervention has raised concerns among some officials within the military services and the White House, the officials said.

“There is not a single service that has been immune to this level of involvement by Hegseth,” one of the US officials told NBC.

Two officials said there are specific concerns within the military and the White House that Hegseth is blocking or stalling qualified officers from being promoted to the ranks of general and admiral because of their race or gender, as he seeks to target diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at the Pentagon. Officials also expressed concern that Hegseth may be singling out officers he views as aligned with Biden administration policies or officials.

On April 2, Hegseth fired the Army chief of staff, Gen. Randy George, whose four-year term had been expected to run through September 2027. George previously served as senior military assistant to Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin during the Biden administration.

According to two additional US officials, George had recently sought a meeting with Hegseth to discuss the blocking of promotions for certain Army officers, which appeared to focus on women and Black men. Hegseth declined to meet or discuss his decisions, the officials said.

Hegseth, who declared an end to “woke” culture at the Defence Department last year, has been openly critical of DEI initiatives adopted during the Biden administration. President Donald Trump has also criticised such policies. Hegseth has publicly accused the military of awarding promotions based on diversity rather than merit.

At the same time, four officials familiar with the promotion process said not all women or officers from racial minority groups have had their promotions blocked or delayed during Hegseth’s tenure as defence secretary.

The Defence Department has not publicly commented on the allegations.

By Sabina Mammadli