A senior Pentagon official says Hegseth's office Googled officers already picked for promotion, kept the results in paper-only files the officers never saw, and gave its orders by phone.
By Joseph Jackson | TAMPA (Nov. 9, 2026)
The short version
MS NOW reports Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's office withheld promotions from at least a dozen senior officers already chosen by military promotion boards.
Reasons cited include a Pride Month event, an International Women's Day panel, encouraging COVID-19 vaccines, the Afghanistan evacuation and ties to retired Gen. Mark Milley.
Three officials say the new criteria hit women and people of color hardest, and that the process may have broken federal law.
The Pentagon didn't deny it. A spokesman says Hegseth is "reviving the warrior ethos" and acted within his authority.
The House must vote on Hegseth's impeachment by Wednesday.
What MS NOW found
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's office ran what one senior official called a "planned and deliberate process" to stop officers from being promoted to general and admiral, MS NOW reported Monday. (Military.com)
The officers had already been selected by military promotion boards. According to the report, Hegseth's office then ran internet searches on them and printed the results. Those printouts went into paper-only files the officers could not see. (Military.com)
Instructions about the new criteria were given by phone, not in writing. Two officers whose promotions were blocked told MS NOW they learned by phone and were given no chance to respond. (Military.com)
MS NOW based its report on three military officials, including a senior official with direct knowledge of how generals and admirals are selected, plus the two officers. At least 12 officers had promotions withheld. (The Independent) The official asked not to be named for fear of retaliation.
What got officers flagged
According to the report, officers were held back for things like (Military.com, The Independent):
Allowing a Pride Month event or a celebration with rainbow flags
Speaking on an International Women's Day panel at U.S. Africa Command
Serving on a diversity committee aboard the USS Kearsarge, or as a diversity liaison officer
Giving a speech at a Hispanic heritage celebration aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt
Joining a Minority Aviation Panel at the Naval Academy
Encouraging sailors to get vaccinated, or posing for a photo after a second COVID-19 shot
Disciplining an officer who refused the COVID-19 vaccine
A role in the 2021 Afghanistan evacuation, or a connection to retired Gen. Mark Milley, the former Joint Chiefs chairman
Some of the officers hold advanced degrees, including from MIT. Others served in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. (The Independent)
Who was hit hardest
The officials told MS NOW the new criteria disproportionately removed women and people of color who had already been approved for promotion. (MeidasTouch, quoting MS NOW)
That matches earlier reporting. The New York Times counted at least 45 officers pulled from promotion lists after board selection by late August, and more than half were women or Black. The AP reported in June that Hegseth removed nine of 31 officers picked for one-star admiral, including all three women on the list. (Military.com)
If an officer isn't promoted within 18 months, they can be dropped from the list. For most of these officers, that likely means early retirement. (The Independent)
Was it legal?
Three officials told MS NOW the intervention may have broken the law. Cody Harnish, a military defense attorney and former Army judge advocate general, said pulling officers off the list after they were selected is illegal. (Military.com)
Here's what the law says, according to Military.com's review (Military.com):
Only the president can remove a name from a general or admiral selection list.
Under federal law (10 U.S.C. 618), if a removal is based on information the board never saw, the officer must be shown it and given a fair chance to respond.
A law signed Dec. 18, 2025, requires the defense secretary to tell Congress's defense committees within 30 days when a name is removed for any reason other than misconduct.
It's not yet clear which of these rules applied. Withholding a nomination, delaying a promotion and formally removing a name are different steps under the law, and the Pentagon hasn't said which it used.
What the Pentagon says
The Pentagon did not dispute that the promotions were withheld. Chief spokesman Sean Parnell said Hegseth is "reviving the warrior ethos" and wants senior officers "committed to warfighting, lethality, and dominance in combat." (Military.com)
Parnell said officers "serve at the pleasure of the President and the Secretary," that all advancement is merit-based, and that Hegseth "will not retreat" from his changes. (The Independent) He did not answer whether the process broke the law. (Military.com)
What Congress is doing
In July, Sens. Cory Booker and Brian Schatz asked the Pentagon inspector general to investigate, calling the removals "highly irregular." (Military.com)
Sen. Tammy Duckworth has pushed a bill requiring written explanations when an officer's promotion is withheld, delayed or denied. (Military.com)
Rep. Adam Smith, in line to chair the House Armed Services Committee when Democrats take over in January, has named "purging of the ranks based on loyalty and ideology" as an oversight target. (Military.com)
Rep. Thomas Massie's eight impeachment articles against Hegseth hit the House floor Monday. A vote has to come by Wednesday. The promotions are not one of the eight charges. (FMNN)
What to watch
Whether the Pentagon inspector general opens an investigation, or releases one already underway.
Whether the blocked promotions come up in Wednesday's impeachment debate.
Whether the incoming Armed Services Committee subpoenas the paper files.
This story will be updated as more officers or lawmakers respond.
Related reading
Massie Files Impeachment Articles Against Hegseth. The House Has Until Wednesday. (Nov. 9)
Navy Admiral Hegseth Fired Wins Nancy Mace's House Seat for Democrats (Nov. 7)
Sources
Military.com, on the MS NOW report and the law — https://www.military.com/hegseths-office-kept-secret-files-of-internet-printouts-to-block-admiral-promotions-report-says
The Independent via Yahoo News — https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/hegseth-denied-promotions-military-members-161534148.html
MS NOW opinion column citing the report — https://www.ms.now/opinion/pete-hegseth-impeachment-resignation-trump
MeidasTouch, quoting MS NOW — https://www.meidasplus.com/p/today-in-politics-bulletin-499-11926
Rolling Stone, on earlier Army promotion removals — https://au.rollingstone.com/?p=93010
Photo: The Pentagon's River Entrance. U.S. Navy photo, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.