Hegseth removes 6 Army officers from promotion list
The Hill · C · trust 40/100
Comments: by Filip Timotija - 09/01/26 8:56 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Filip Timotija - 09/01/26 8:56 PM ET Comments: Link copied NOW PLAYING Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spiked the names of at least six Army officers from a list for promotions to two-star generals, a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Hill Tuesday.
The removals come just days after the Pentagon chief blocked promotions of four Army officers selected to ascend to one-star rank, some of whom had links to former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George — who Hegseth ousted in early April — and Gen. Chris Donahue, the commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa who retired earlier this summer.
Hegseth’s office did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.
Earlier this year, the defense secretary similarly pulled four Army officers , two women and two Black men, from a one-star general promotion list — to the displeasure of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and other top officials.
Driscoll handed his resignation to the White House on Monday and is set to depart the Trump administration after a months-long turf war with Hegseth, a move that further signals the defense secretary’s aim to impose his will on the service branch.
Hegseth and his allies have said the Defense Department does not factor the service member’s gender or skin color when weighing promotions. The defense secretary has also blocked promotions of officers in the Navy and Air Force , moves that have rankled former military leaders, calling them unnecessary and damaging to the service branches.
Recommendations by the promotion boards are contingent on the greenlight of the defense secretary, but the commander-in-chief has the authority to remove officers’ names from the list.
Hegseth told Congress in April that every officer serves at the “pleasure of the president, and when they need to be removed in order to ensure we have the right leadership in those services, I will make those calls.”
Hegseth’s blocking of promotions has unnerved Democrats and some Republicans in Congress.
In July, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, slammed Hegseth for firing more than two dozen senior military officers since taking the helm at the Pentagon and blocking officer promotions.
“The United States military is one of the greatest meritocracies in the free world,” Collins said in late July. “We need to make sure that it stays that way.”
Other GOP members have sided with Hegseth.
“From what I understand, there was concerns over them being political. We serve at the goodwill of the president,” Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.), who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, told The Hill on Tuesday.
NBC News reported earlier on Tuesday that several of the officers on the list for two-star promotions were logisticians who manage supply and maintenance to ensure troops have fuel, food and equipment, among other resources.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that Hegseth targeted seven officers on the promotion list, two of whom are Black and another two are female.
Democratic Sens. Cory Booker (N.J.) and Brian Schatz (Hawaii) demanded in July an independent investigation by the Pentagon Inspector General into Hegseth’s blocks.
“Secretary Hegseth’s alleged use of his personal views and perceptions on race and gender to interfere with the promotion process completely nullifies the extensive, competitive, rigorous and merit-based vetting process of candidates that the selection boards put forward,” the two wrote in a 3-page July 15 letter .
They continued, “It is clear his determinations are antithetical to the standards that should be assessed when considering promotions.”
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