In Unusual Move, Hegseth Blocks 4 Officers' Promotions

The New York Times reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made the "exceedingly rare" decision to block the promotion of four Army officers to the status of one-star generals. Defense secretaries rarely get involved in such relatively nitty-gritty decisions, and the move in this case is especially sensitive: Two of the officers are women, and two are Black, which has "prompted some senior military officials to question whether the officers are being singled out because of their race or gender," according to the Times story. Its reporters spoke to 11 current and former military and administration officials.

The original list of about three dozen names had been vetted and backed by Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, who reportedly refused to pull the four names, per the Times. Hegseth ultimately crossed out the names himself, even as Pentagon lawyers debated whether he has the authority to edit it rather than accept or reject it in full. A few Black and female officers remain, but the list is dominated by white men. The move comes amid Hegseth's broader effort to roll back diversity-focused initiatives and reshape the senior ranks. His office insists promotions remain merit-based and nonpolitical, but critics argue the process is becoming the opposite. The White House and Senate must still sign off on the list.

• Mediaite takes note of a different part of the story involving Hegseth chief of staff Ricky Buria, who reportedly criticized Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll over the promotion of Maj. Gen. Antoinette R. Gant as commander of the Military District of Washington. According to the story, Buria told Driscoll that President Trump would not want to stand next to a Black female officer at military events. "The president is not a racist or sexist," the story quotes a stunned Driscoll as saying in response. Buria denies the account as a "made-up story." The promotion held. Read the full Times story.