Pete Hegseth Removes Two Black and Two Female Officers from Army One-Star Promotion List, Sparking Bias Allegations
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has drawn sharp criticism after intervening in a routine Army promotion process to remove four colonels — two Black men and two women — from a vetted list of candidates for promotion to brigadier general (one-star rank).
The highly unusual move, first reported by The New York Times on March 27, 2026, occurred after months of pressure from Hegseth’s office on Army leadership. When Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll and other officials resisted removing the names, Hegseth personally struck them from the list of roughly three dozen officers before it advanced to the White House and Senate for review.
Senior military officials told the Times that the decision has raised questions inside the Pentagon about whether race and gender played a role in the removals. The four officers had already passed a highly competitive selection process in which only about 5% of eligible colonels typically advance to general officer ranks.
Details of the Removed Officers
- One Black combat veteran and armor officer was reportedly flagged in part due to an academic paper he wrote years earlier examining career patterns among African American officers.
- One female logistics officer served during the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and was described by officials familiar with her record as having performed effectively under pressure.
- The reasons for removing the other two officers — a logistics specialist and a finance officer — were not clearly explained.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell defended the process, stating that “under Secretary Hegseth, military promotions are given to those who have earned them” and describing the approach as “apolitical and unbiased.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt praised Hegseth for “restoring meritocracy” in the ranks as directed by President Trump.
Separate Dispute Involving Black Female General
The controversy gained additional weight from a separate incident reported by the Times. Last summer, Hegseth’s chief of staff, Ricky Buria, allegedly objected to the selection of Maj. Gen. Antoinette R. Gant — a Black combat engineer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan — to lead the Military District of Washington. That high-visibility role often places its commander alongside the president at ceremonial events, including at Arlington National Cemetery.
According to three current and former officials familiar with the exchange, Buria told Army Secretary Driscoll that President Trump would not want to stand next to a Black female officer at such events. Driscoll reportedly pushed back, stating, “The president is not a racist or sexist.” The White House eventually backed off the objection, and Gant assumed the command last summer before being promoted to two-star rank earlier this month.
Buria denied the account, calling it a “made-up story” intended to sow division and stating that the department is led by “clear-eyed, mission-driven leaders unfazed by fake Washington gossip.”
Broader Context and Hegseth’s Stance
Since taking office, Hegseth has moved aggressively to reshape Pentagon leadership. He has fired or sidelined more than two dozen senior officers appointed under the previous administration, including former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. C.Q. Brown and the Navy’s first female four-star admiral. In his writings and public statements, Hegseth has criticized prior diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives as “woke” and called for a swift reversal to focus strictly on merit and warfighting readiness.
The active-duty military is roughly 43% people of color, yet senior leadership has historically been less diverse. Efforts under former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin aimed to address that gap through broader recruitment and blind evaluations.
Critics argue the latest promotion changes fit a pattern of reversing those initiatives. Supporters of Hegseth counter that the military must prioritize combat effectiveness and eliminate any perception of ideological litmus tests or quotas.
The promotion list remains under White House review ahead of Senate confirmation. The episode has reignited debate over politicization of the military promotion process, the balance between merit and diversity, and how senior leadership should reflect the force it commands.
As the story develops, both military insiders and lawmakers are watching closely to see whether the removed officers’ names are restored or if the changes stand as part of a larger shift in Pentagon personnel policy.
By Mark Smith Follow us on X @realnewshubs and subscribe for push notifications
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