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Female Navy officers say they fear a career cap after Hegseth cuts women from promotions list
AP News ^ | Updated 7:18 AM CDT, June 6, 2026 | KONSTANTIN TOROPIN

Posted on 06/06/2026 10:34:34 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

WASHINGTON (AP) — After Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth cut nine Navy officers, including all the women, from a promotion list, several female officers say they see the unusual intervention as a sign that their careers now have a ceiling and worry for the future generation of female military leaders.

The Navy had selected 31 sailors to promote from the rank of captain to one-star admiral, but Hegseth recently intervened to strike nine people from the list, including three women and two Black men, according to a defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information not permitted to be released publicly.

As a result, the Navy is not promoting a single woman to the one-star admiral rank this year even though women make up about one-quarter of all Navy officers and nearly one-third of the sea service’s midgrade ranks, according to military data from 2024.

The Associated Press spoke with eight female Navy officers of varying ranks and time in service after Hegseth’s cuts, which were reported earlier by The New York Times, became public. They spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution from their superiors.

The more junior officers said they saw the development as a sign that their careers would become politicized if they rose too far in the ranks, and some said they felt they now had a limit on how far they could be promoted. Some said it made them feel less valued within the military and wondered whether that wasn’t part of the intent.

The Pentagon has not offered any rationale on why the women, or any of the other six people, were removed from the promotion list.

The Pentagon says promotions are based on merit

Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s top spokesman, said...

(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...


TOPICS: Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: merit; navy; navyofficers; officers
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To: xp38

“The Pentagon says promotions are based on merit....nuff said.”
____________________________________________________________

In case you haven’t noticed, the Pentagon often lies.


21 posted on 06/06/2026 12:17:04 PM PDT by Bob Wills is still the king
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

women make up 1/4 of all officers and 1/3 of all kids grade ranks.

I think I see He’s get he’s reasoning here.


22 posted on 06/06/2026 12:28:03 PM PDT by Sequoyah101 (Opinions and belly buttons, everybody has one and they get to show them if they want to.)
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To: Sequoyah101

???


23 posted on 06/06/2026 12:31:11 PM PDT by ansel12
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To: Sequoyah101

MID-GRADE ranks.

When I need writing help I’ll ask for it. AI isn’t nearly so smart.


24 posted on 06/06/2026 12:31:53 PM PDT by Sequoyah101 (Opinions and belly buttons, everybody has one and they get to show them if they want to.)
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To: servo1969
I don’t care. I don’t care if a woman’s career goals are sidelined. The military doesn’t exist for anyone’s career goals.

"The purpose of the military is to kill people and break things." --Rush Limbaugh

25 posted on 06/06/2026 12:35:43 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (If it ain't fun, you ain't doin' it right.)
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To: ansel12

Writing assist. Turned it off finally.


26 posted on 06/06/2026 12:39:16 PM PDT by Sequoyah101 (Opinions and belly buttons, everybody has one and they get to show them if they want to.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

The lesser qualified women don’t belong on promotion lists.

If a woman is the best man for the job, then so be it. These women were not.


27 posted on 06/06/2026 1:30:06 PM PDT by Freedom_Is_Not_Free (America -- July 4, 1776 to November 3, 2020 -- R.I.P.)
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To: Sequoyah101

It makes you wonder how many of those 1/4 female officers earned it or were DEI promotions. Certainly not every one of them, but it stands to reason that many female officers were promoted just to put a pussy in the rank.


28 posted on 06/06/2026 1:32:10 PM PDT by Freedom_Is_Not_Free (America -- July 4, 1776 to November 3, 2020 -- R.I.P.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
“Hegseth recently intervened to strike nine people from the list, including three women and two Black men”

Who were the other four?

29 posted on 06/06/2026 2:24:57 PM PDT by MRadtke (Light a candle or curse the darkness?)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

This is awful policy by Hegseth.

Since August 18, 1920 women can do no wrongs, just “rights”. Those creatures have no agency after all, the law and p^ss% pass makes that clear as crystal.


30 posted on 06/06/2026 2:33:21 PM PDT by rollo tomasi (Not this world but the next. Faith, justice, humility, hope, and most important, agape.)
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To: xp38
The Pentagon says promotions are based on merit....nuff said.

Another reason why Hegseth is wrong on this; bureaucracies are impeccably managed and impartial institutions.
31 posted on 06/06/2026 2:41:41 PM PDT by rollo tomasi (Not this world but the next. Faith, justice, humility, hope, and most important, agape.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

AP reporting the hard news that Didn’t Earn Its think the there is no longer a free lunch. Oh the humanity.


32 posted on 06/06/2026 2:46:39 PM PDT by Vision (“Our Democracy” means "Our Slush Fund." The Left is hate.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

“...even though women make up about one-quarter of all Navy officers.....”

May a merciful God help us all.


33 posted on 06/06/2026 2:48:38 PM PDT by odawg
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To: MRadtke
Who were the other four?

We are not being told who they were because they were inconvenient to the narrative.

34 posted on 06/06/2026 3:01:58 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (If it ain't fun, you ain't doin' it right.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
even though women make up about one-quarter of all Navy officers and nearly one-third of the sea service’s midgrade ranks

If it was based on merit, it should be under 10%.

35 posted on 06/06/2026 3:03:45 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
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To: MinorityRepublican

If it was based on merit, it should be 0%.


36 posted on 06/06/2026 3:14:09 PM PDT by bankwalker (Feminists, like all Marxists, are ungrateful parasites.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

You don’t get a promotion JUST BECAUSE you are a woman.

You have to EARN it.


37 posted on 06/06/2026 3:19:33 PM PDT by faucetman (Just the facts, ma'am, Just the facts )
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To: kawhill
ntervened to strike nine people from the list, including three women and two Black men”.

That leaves four white guys dropped from the list.

38 posted on 06/06/2026 3:46:47 PM PDT by Hot Tabasco (She's got freckles on her butt she is nice.)
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To: V_TWIN
“When people get used to preferential treatment, equal treatment seems like discrimination” _Thomas Sowell

^THAT
39 posted on 06/06/2026 4:21:37 PM PDT by ratzoe
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To: hanamizu

Should have been spelled birthing persons.


40 posted on 06/06/2026 4:24:13 PM PDT by Texas resident ( We finally have an American President again)
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