Reed Condemns Hegseth Blockade of Military Promotions Across Navy and Air Force

WASHINGTON, DC-Following reports this week from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has personally blocked and delayed the promotions of dozens of senior Navy and Air Force officers - in addition to earlier removals of senior Army officers - U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement:

"These reports describe an outrageous pattern that is both unlawful and corrosive to the military we rely on to defend this nation.

"Secretary Hegseth has blocked or delayed the promotions of dozens of top-performing officers across every military branch without justification. These officers were all selected for promotion through a rigorous, merit-based process by boards of their peers who reviewed countless officers and chose the best.

"Under U.S. law, only the President may remove an officer from a promotion list. Secretary Hegseth has refused to explain why or how he believes he has the authority to terminate or delay these officers' careers.

"Women and minorities make up fewer than twenty percent of the general officer corps, yet they account for nearly sixty percent of those Secretary Hegseth has fired or sidelined. That disparity does not happen by accident, and it is a betrayal of the meritocracy that defines our military.

"These officers have served our nation honorably for decades. They deserve answers, and so do the thousands of young leaders under their commands who are wondering if they should continue to serve.

"This assault on our military promotion system is unacceptable. It weakens our nation by preventing some of our best and brightest officers from advancing based on opaque criteria that appears to have nothing to do with performance. I am pressing the Department of Defense for immediate answers and urge my Republican colleagues to do the same."

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