22Apr
“This moment should not be separated from a broader, documented pattern. Since taking office, Hegseth has fired generals, renamed ships, and systematically targeted women and people of color in uniform.“
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Common Defense condemns Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s decision to unilaterally block the promotions of four highly qualified Army officers to Brigadier General — including two Black officers and two women — overriding the military’s own established process.
According to a New York Times report citing current and former senior military officials, one officer was removed from consideration for writing an academic paper examining why Black soldiers have historically opted for support over frontline combat roles. Hegseth’s own spokesperson called the process “apolitical and unbiased.” Veterans know better.
Jose Vasquez, Executive Director of Common Defense and U.S. Army Veteran had this to say:
“Military standards are not the issue here. This is clearly about Hegseth imposing his political and ideological agenda on the people who have actually earned their rank. We served alongside women and people of color who were the most capable, most decorated, and most mission-ready people in the room. Blocking their advancement doesn’t make our military stronger — it makes it weaker, and it betrays every service member who was told their merit would be what mattered. Congress must investigate these promotion decisions now.
“This moment should not be separated from a broader, documented pattern. Since taking office, Hegseth has fired generals, renamed ships, and systematically targeted women and people of color in uniform. He is not making our military more lethal. He is making it more loyal to him and that is the true threat to national security and military readiness.”
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Common Defense Civic Engagement (501c4) (CDCE) is a grassroots, veteran-led organization that was founded in 2016. We empower veterans to stand up for our communities against the rising tide of racism, hate, and violence, to organize against the entrenched powers that have rigged our economy, and to champion an equitable and representative democracy, where “liberty and justice” truly is for all. For too long, politicians from both political parties have attempted to use veterans as unwilling political props, and Common Defense serves as a home for veterans to organize and speak for themselves and support the candidates who truly share our values.