by Sharelle B. McNair
March 27, 2026
A senior military official said there were nearly 40 officers on the promotion list, mostly white men, but some black and female officers remained on the list.
While his reasons remain unclear, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reportedly sought to remove the names of four Army officers, black men and women, from a list of military promotions for one-star general positions, The Independent reported.
The defense secretary himself reportedly removed the four officers’ names from the list after requests from Army leaders, including Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, to do so. But after Driscoll reportedly declined due to the officers’ outstanding paperwork, Hegseth wanted to take matters into his own hands.
However, it is unclear whether he has the authority to do so before it is sent to the White House for final review.
A senior military official said there were nearly 40 officers on the promotion list, mostly white men, but some black and female officers remained on the list. Since When Hegseth took office, he focused on removing what he called “woke” policies from the Pentagon, including:ing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and has promised to make all promotions “based on merit.”
The random action raised eyebrows over whether the secretary targeted the four officers based on their race or gender. One of the names Hegseth reportedly wanted removed from the list is Maj. Gen. Antoinette Gant, after a tense exchange between Driscoll and Hegseth’s chief of staff Ricky Buria. Gant, who is Black, is a combat engineer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and was named head of the Military District of Washington, according to The Hill.
In this role, she led a command to ensure security while also performing ceremonial duties in the nation’s capital, often appearing alongside the sitting president at Arlington National Cemetery. Buria allegedly told Driscoll that President Donald Trump would not want to stand next to a black female officer at military events.
Driscoll reportedly responded, “The president is not a racist or sexist,” and Hegseth’s office eventually relented, leading to Gant taking office last summer and being promoted to two-star general in early March 2026.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell claimed the report was “fake news” and said: “Under Secretary Hegseth, military promotions are awarded to those who deserve them. The meritocracy that exists in this department is apolitical and unbiased.”
Buria also released a statement claiming the report was an attempt to create a fabricated narrative.
“Whoever spread this fabricated story is clearly trying to sow division between our ranks in the department and administration. It will not work, and it will never work if this department is led by clear-eyed, mission-oriented leaders who are unfazed by Washington gossip,” Buria said.
However, reports say otherwise. General CQ Brown, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff – the second African American to hold the post – was fired by Hegseth shortly after he was appointed secretary. He also fired Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to hold the Navy’s highest uniformed post.
Both Brown and Franchetti were critical of Hegseth before his appointment, and Hegseth was not shy about expressing his feelings about it.
In his book “The War on Warriors,” Hegseth questioned whether Brown got the job because of his merits or because of his race.
“The military standards, once the hallmark of competence, professionalism and mission-first results, have officially been replaced by woke priorities,” he wrote.
“Do you think CQ Brown will think intuitively about external threats and internal preparedness? Not a chance. He built his general office by dutifully pursuing the radical positions of left-wing politicians, who in turn rewarded him with promotions.”
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