A decision by Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, has ignited a new controversy within the Armed Forces. According to information published by The New York Times, the official removed from a promotion list nine Navy officers who had been previously selected by a board of senior officers, a measure that disproportionately affects women and African Americans.

The controversy arises because military promotions are usually governed by a system considered apolitical and based on professional merit. However, military sources consulted by the newspaper indicated that Hegseth's intervention breaks with a practice that has historically limited political discretion in this type of process.

A list without women and with little diversity

According to the report, three of the excluded officers were women and two were African American men. Following changes made by the Secretary of Defense, the new list of candidates for one-star admiral does not include any women, despite the fact that they represent about 21% of active Navy personnel.

Additionally, the revised list has very limited representation of racial minority officers, in a force where about 38% of sailors identify as part of diverse racial groups.

Current and retired Department of Defense officials indicated to the media that these types of interventions usually occur only when there are questions related to the conduct, health or professional performance of an officer. So far, the Pentagon has not indicated that any of the excluded officers face such problems.

Criticism grows inside and outside Congress

Sean Parnell, chief Pentagon spokesman, defended Hegseth's actions and assured that promotions are granted only to those who deserve them.

“The department will never consider a service member's skin color or gender as factors for promotions,” he stated.

However, Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans have questioned the lack of transparency about the criteria used to modify promotion lists.

Senator Jack Reed, top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, recently stated that nearly 60% of the senior officers dismissed or removed since Hegseth's arrival are women or African-Americans.

Criticism has also intensified because this is not the first time that the secretary intervenes in military promotion processes. Earlier this year, he removed four officers, including two women and two African-American men, from an Army promotion list.

Debate on diversity in the Armed Forces

Since arriving at the Pentagon, Hegseth has pushed an agenda critical of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, arguing that they have affected military readiness.

However, detractors argue that recent decisions could discourage future generations of officers and affect confidence within the Armed Forces.