Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth blocks promotions of six more U.S. Army officers

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has blocked the promotion of at least six more U.S Army officers, according to reports.

Sources told The Hill the unnamed individuals had been set for the rank of two-star general until Hegseth intervened, the latest in a series of similar moves by the secretary this year as he seeks to reshape the Department of Defense.

In August the same outlet reported Hegseth had obstructed four other officers from receiving one star promotions, and in March the secretary was said to have blocked four other Army officers - two women and two Black men - in similar fashion.

Analysis by The New York Times on Monday found that he has now fired or blocked the promotions of more than 80 generals and admirals, amounting to a purge of around 10 per cent of the military’s top officers.

​Army Secretary Dan Driscoll became the latest high profile figure to announce their departure this week, stepping down after 18 months on the job. No reason was given but tensions with the Defense Secretary have been widely reported.

​Hegseth has made no secret of his intentions to refashion the department in his own image since he was appointed by President Donald Trump. In a speech to military leaders at Quantico, Virginia last September he set out his vision for a Pentagon shaped by a “warrior ethos”.

“We became the woke department. Not any more. We’re done with that s***,” the former Fox and Friends Weekend host said at the time.

“For too long, we’ve promoted too many uniformed leaders for the wrong reasons based on their race, based on gender quotas, based on historic so-called firsts.

“No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses. No more climate change worship, no more division, distraction or gender delusions. No more debris,” he declared.

The Independent has contacted the Defense Department for comment on the latest reports.

Regarding the August promotions, a spokesperson for the Department of Defense told NBC News earlier this week: ​“Military promotions are decided by the Secretary of War, and every single Department of War employee - from senior military leaders to political appointees - serves at the pleasure of the President and the Secretary of War.”

And in March, the Pentagon hit back at reports inThe New York Times that two women and two Black men had been removed from a promotion list to become one-star generals.

​“This story, like many others from the Failing New York Times, is full of fake news from anonymous sources who have no idea what they’re talking about and are far removed from actual decision-makers within the Pentagon,” ​spokesman Sean Parnell said. “Under Secretary Hegseth, military promotions are given to those who have earned them.”