How Hegseth Decides On Senior Officer Promotions

“Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth short-circuited a merit-based process for  promoting senior officers and instead relied on newly invented criteria that disproportionately removed from advancement women and people of color who had already been approved for promotion,” MS NOW reports.

“MS NOW spoke exclusively to a senior official with in-depth knowledge of flag and general officer selection and assignment who described in detail for the first time how, he says, the results of internet searches were used by Hegseth’s office to withhold promotions from women and people of color.”

“The senior official also described how Hegseth intentionally scuttled the promotions of senior officers who were perceived to support DEI initiatives, played a role in implementing the Pentagon’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, were involved in the evacuation from Afghanistan, or had a connection to former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark A. Milley.”