Hegseth has recently vetoed the promotion nominations of nine officers who had already been selected by the Navy's senior officer board, including three women and two African American men. This move has been described as highly unusual by current and former defense officials, raising questions about whether he is interfering with what should be a non-political, merit-based promotion system due to an anti-diversity political stance. The revised list of 22 nominees for one-star naval officers was released at the end of May, featuring no female officers and seemingly only two non-white officers. In contrast, women make up approximately 21% of the active-duty Navy, and minority sailors account for about 38%. Five current and former defense officials stated that the Secretary of Defense should typically remove an officer from a promotion list only if there are issues related to morality, mental health, physical condition, or professional competence that affect their leadership suitability. Hegseth’s intervention marks the latest in a series of dismissals and personnel changes, which appear to be driven more by an anti-"woke" and anti-diversity political orientation than by officer performance. If this trend continues, it could reshape the upper echelons of the U.S. military for years to come.
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Original article: toutiao.com/article/1866860619808969/
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