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Pete Hegseth Blocks Promotion Of 2 Black And 2 Female Army Officers: Report
(HuffPost) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has moved to unilaterally strike two Black and two female Army officers from a one-star promotion list that includes mostly white men, The New York Times reported Friday, prompting concerns about his approach to military promotions.
Hegseth had previously instructed Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll and others to remove the four officers from the list but Driscoll had pushed back on the secretary's request, the Times reported.
Hegseth took matters in his own hands, blocking the officers' promotions, even though it's unclear whether he has the legal authority to do so, the Times said. The White House is now reviewing the list, which still includes some Black and female officers, the report notes.
....(snip)....
Buria allegedly told Driscoll that Trump would not want to stand next to a Black female officer at military events. Driscoll, who was allegedly taken aback by the remark, said the president isn't racist, the Times noted. .................(more)
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/latest-news-live-updates_n_69c10d91e4b03dbe678a161f/liveblog_69c678cee4b04183742059f0
8 replies
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I hate this horrible administration more with each day. 
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s highly unusual decision to remove officers from a one-star promotion list has spurred allegations of racial and gender bias.
Link to tweet
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/27/us/hegseth-promotion-list.html?unlocked_article_code=1.WVA.SaDY.StFgsp8N823Y&smid=nytcore-ios-share
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is blocking the promotion of four Army officers to be one-star generals, a highly unusual move that has prompted some senior military officials to question whether the officers are being singled out because of their race or gender.
Two of the officers targeted by Mr. Hegseth are Black and two are women on a promotion list that consists of about three dozen officers, most of whom are white men, senior military officials said.
Mr. Hegseth had been pressing senior Army leaders, including Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll, for months to remove the officers’ names, military officials said. But Mr. Driscoll, citing the officers’ decades-long records of exemplary service, had repeatedly refused.....
The frustrations with Mr. Hegseth’s approach came to a boil last summer during a heated exchange between Ricky Buria, Mr. Hegseth’s chief of staff, and Mr. Driscoll about a separate promotion.
Mr. Buria chastised the Army secretary for selecting Maj. Gen. Antoinette R. Gant, a combat engineer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, to take command of the Military District of Washington, said three current and former defense and administration officials familiar with the exchange. The command provides security and performs ceremonial duties in the nation’s capital, and its commander often appears alongside the president at Arlington National Cemetery.
Mr. Buria told Mr. Driscoll that President Trump would not want to stand next to a Black female officer at military events, the officials said.
Two of the officers targeted by Mr. Hegseth are Black and two are women on a promotion list that consists of about three dozen officers, most of whom are white men, senior military officials said.
Mr. Hegseth had been pressing senior Army leaders, including Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll, for months to remove the officers’ names, military officials said. But Mr. Driscoll, citing the officers’ decades-long records of exemplary service, had repeatedly refused.....
The frustrations with Mr. Hegseth’s approach came to a boil last summer during a heated exchange between Ricky Buria, Mr. Hegseth’s chief of staff, and Mr. Driscoll about a separate promotion.
Mr. Buria chastised the Army secretary for selecting Maj. Gen. Antoinette R. Gant, a combat engineer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, to take command of the Military District of Washington, said three current and former defense and administration officials familiar with the exchange. The command provides security and performs ceremonial duties in the nation’s capital, and its commander often appears alongside the president at Arlington National Cemetery.
Mr. Buria told Mr. Driscoll that President Trump would not want to stand next to a Black female officer at military events, the officials said.