WASHINGTON \u2014\u00a0A group of Democratic senators is demanding that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth explain his decision-making process and rationale for denying promotions to certain members of the military.<\/p>\n
In a letter to the secretary Monday, they expressed concern over reports that he had personally removed qualified officers from U.S. Navy promotions and that his actions were affecting morale in the armed services.<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/p>\n
A group of Democratic senators is demanding that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth explain his decision-making process and rationale for denying promotions to certain members of the military
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In a letter to the secretary, they expressed concern over reports that he had personally removed qualified officers from U.S. Navy promotions and that his actions were affecting morale in the armed services
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\u201cIt is imperative that the decision to promote an Officer is made in accordance with the law, established military personnel policies and regulations, and the principles of a professional, apolitical military,\u201d the senators wrote in a letter to Hegseth on Monday
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Earlier this year, the Navy had selected 31 sailors to promote from the rank of captain to one-star admiral, but Hegseth intervened in June to strike nine from the list, including three women and two Black men, according to a defense official<\/p>\n
\u201cThe promotion system for General Officers is intended to promote personnel with leadership, operational, and institutional knowledge that will provide useful expertise to not only the military but the elected leadership of this nation,\u201d the senators wrote in the letter. \u201cThese promotions are based on merit, qualifications, and the needs of the U.S. Armed Forces.\u201d<\/p>\n
The letter was signed by Sens. Jon Ossoff of Georgia, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Jeff Merkley of Oregon.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is imperative that the decision to promote an Officer is made in accordance with the law, established military personnel policies and regulations, and the principles of a professional, apolitical military,\u201d they wrote.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, the Navy had selected 31 sailors to promote from the rank of captain to one-star admiral, but Hegseth intervened in June to strike nine from the list, including three women and two Black men, according to a defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information not permitted to be released publicly.<\/p>\n
As a result, the Navy is not promoting a single woman to the one-star admiral rank this year even though women make up about one-quarter of all Navy officers and nearly one-third of the sea service\u2019s midgrade ranks, according to military data from 2024.<\/p>\n
Sean Parnell, the Pentagon\u2019s top spokesman, said on social media last month that \u201cmilitary promotions are given to those who have earned them\u201d and that the Pentagon \u201cwill never consider the color of a service member\u2019s skin or their gender as a factor in promotions.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Navy\u2019s process for choosing which officers to promote to the one-star rank has been relatively constant and transparent over the years. The service convenes a group of officers, called a promotion board, that examines the records of eligible officers and chooses the most qualified.<\/p>\n
The board that selected the initial slate of 31 officers for promotion was directed by then-Navy Secretary John Phelan, an appointee of President Donald Trump, to \u201crecommend for promotion the best qualified officers within their respective competitive category.\u201d<\/p>\n
The order from Phelan, who later\u00a0abruptly departed his post<\/a> in April, said the board should consider an officer\u2019s performance, competence and character, among other traits, as part of those qualifications<\/p>\n The Democrats\u2019 letter acknowledged valid reasons do exist to remove officers from promotion consideration but said public reports indicate Hegseth\u2019s actions could be politically motivated.<\/p>\n The Defense Department had not responded to Spectrum News\u2019 request for comment before this story was published.<\/p>\n Hegseth has long argued, without offering evidence<\/a>, that women in the military benefit from preferential treatment and are not suited for combat roles<\/a>.<\/p>\n