US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has blocked the promotion of 9 Air Force colonels and delayed promotions for at least 24 other senior military officers, including those in the Army and Navy, according to reports as of June 2, 2026 [1, 2]. Among those blocked were 7 Navy officers, including 2 women, 2 African American men, and 3 white men [3, 4]. The new Navy flag officer nominations by Hegseth included no women and very few minority officers, although women make up 21% and minorities 38% of the Navy officer corps [3].
Since his confirmation in June 2025, Hegseth has fired or sidelined more than 20 senior military flag officers, including the first Black Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. C.Q. Brown and the Navy’s first female chief of operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti [1, 3, 2]. Some military officials and lawmakers criticize Hegseth for politicizing promotions and potentially violating laws that require presidential approval in writing to remove officers from promotion lists. It is unclear whether Hegseth followed these legal procedures [1, 2]. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said promotions are based solely on merit and not on race or gender. "Military promotions are based solely on merit and the Pentagon will never consider the color of a service member’s skin or their gender as a factor in promotions," he stated [1]. Parnell also said the promotion system "awards positions only to those deserving; color or gender has never been a consideration under Trump or Hegseth’s leadership" [4].
Hegseth defended his decisions saying, "As the Pentagon’s top leader, I have the right to select my military staff. The previous administration promoted officers to meet diversity rather than merit" [4]. Critics argue that his actions target officers based on race, gender, ties to prior administration diversity programs, or perceived loyalty issues [1, 3, 4, 2].
On the media front, the Pentagon announced new restrictions on journalist access to its press offices starting June 1, citing security concerns. Pentagon acting spokesperson Joel Valdez said, "The Pentagon press office is now designated a sensitive information isolation facility; media access must be restricted to protect classified data" [4].
The promotion delays and blocks affect senior officers across all military branches and have sparked debate about fairness and legal compliance. The Pentagon has yet to clarify if it has followed all required formal procedures for removing officers from promotion lists. Officials have not announced when the next round of promotions will be finalized [1, 2].
