Overview
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George after George sought a meeting about blocked promotions, according to NBC News citing U.S. officials.
- Nine U.S. officials told NBC that Hegseth has blocked or delayed more than a dozen senior officer promotions across the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps, with some selections seen as targeted for race, gender, DEI links, Covid‑era policies, or ties to former officials.
- The Army’s one‑star slate of about 30 officers advanced only after Hegseth removed four names, reported as two women and two Black officers, before it moved to the White House and then the Senate.
- Navy leaders’ one‑star list has sat on Hegseth’s desk for over a month, Air Force names were pulled at his direction, and three Marine officers’ expected promotions were blocked despite leadership recommendations and no known investigations.
- By law the president holds the broadest authority to stop promotions, and officials said defense secretaries typically do not strike individual names from service lists or halt recommendations without a misconduct inquiry.