Backlash grows after Pete Hegseth alters military general promotions list

Criticism is mounting after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth intervened in a routine military promotion process, removing four officers from a list of candidates recommended for elevation to one-star general. Critics say it breaks with longstanding norms and raises concerns about bias.

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The decision, first reported by The New York Times, has drawn sharp rebuke from former military officials and advocates who argue that altering a vetted promotion slate risks politicizing a system designed to reward merit and performance.

Senior Army leaders told the Times they had supported the officers selected by the promotion board and pushed back internally against efforts to remove them, emphasizing that the candidates were qualified based on their records and that the process is meant to remain insulated from outside influence. The report described unusual internal friction, with military officials defending the integrity of the board’s recommendations even as civilian leadership moved to change the list.

Among the most forceful voices is retired Space Force Col. Bree Fram, who is now running for Congress in Virginia after being forced to retire from the military for being transgender. Fram described the move as “another outrageous abuse of power.”

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“The hypocrisy of Hegseth’s claimed focus on meritocracy is on full display with these removals,” Fram said in a statement. “If merit were truly the standard, the scrutiny would start at the top.” According to the Times, the four officers removed from the list include two women and two Black men.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told The Hill the report 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.”

Military promotion boards operate through a formalized process in which officers are evaluated on their records, leadership, and performance. The resulting lists are typically forwarded intact through the chain of command, with civilian leaders expected to accept or reject them as a whole rather than edit them individually.

For critics, that norm is not procedural trivia. It is a safeguard. Fram, who said she served on an officer promotion board, emphasized that members take an oath to assess candidates “without prejudice or partiality,” often deliberating over the smallest performance distinctions to determine who advances.

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“You accept an oath to serve without prejudice or partiality,” Fram said. “That means considering one thing: the records of the members up for promotion.”

Departing from that process, she argued, risks eroding confidence in the system and sending a chilling signal to service members about how advancement decisions are made. “It doesn’t surprise me that of the four officers he removed, two happened to be women, and the other two were African American,” Fram added.

The Pentagon has not fully explained the rationale for the removals, and it remains unclear whether the altered list will face additional scrutiny as it moves through the White House and Senate confirmation process.

“Hegseth has no right to strike down people because they do not fit his definition of what the ‘right kind of American' is,” Fram said. “That is bigotry, plain and simple. These officers, men, and women who have devoted their lives to our country deserve far better. The American people deserve better.”