Posted on 08/06/2026 1:32:00 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
The percentage of high-ranking officer nominations going to women is currently at its lowest level in over two decades.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s blocking of promotions for high-ranking women in the military has contributed to the lowest percentage of such nominations for women in at least 25 years, according to a New York Times analysis.
Eight of 201 candidates for high-ranking posts this year have been women, or 4 percent — less than half the average percentage of the past 10 years.
More women could still be promoted this year. And the number of women nominated for promotion in any year is relatively small, so the percentages can fluctuate based on a few individual officers. In 2012, for example, the percentage of high-ranking nominations going to women also fell below 5 percent.
But the proportion of female nominees would be higher in 2026 if not for Mr. Hegseth’s actions. He has blocked at least 40 high-ranking promotions from reaching the Senate in recent months — some for white men, but about half for women and people of color, The Times has reported.
It’s a substantial drop from 2025, when women reached the highest percentage of nominees on record during Mr. Hegseth’s first year as defense secretary.
Mr. Hegseth has not disclosed his reasons for blocking promotions, but he has argued that the Pentagon’s past diversity efforts have degraded the military. “For too long, we’ve promoted too many uniform leaders for the wrong reasons,” he said in a speech to military leaders last September. “Based on their race, based on gender quotas, based on historic so-called firsts.”
These high-level promotions, however, are extremely competitive. For one- and two-star ranks, selection boards...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
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Under Hegseth, Women’s Share of Top Military Promotions Plunged This Year (by C.J. Robinson, The New York Times Upshot, Aug. 6, 2026).
A New York Times analysis finds that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s interventions have contributed to the lowest share of women among high-ranking military promotion nominations in at least 25 years. So far in 2026, only 8 of 201 candidates for senior posts (generals and admirals) are women—about 4%, less than half the average over the prior decade.
The article notes that absolute numbers of female nominees are small in any year, so percentages can swing with a few decisions (a similar dip below 5% occurred in 2012). More nominations could still occur later in the year. However, the share would be higher without Hegseth’s actions: he has blocked at least 40 high-ranking promotions from reaching the Senate in recent months. While some blocked candidates were white men, roughly half were women or people of color.
This marks a sharp drop from 2025 (Hegseth’s first year), when women reached a record-high percentage of such nominees. Hegseth has not publicly detailed individual reasons for the blocks but has argued that prior Pentagon diversity efforts weakened the military.
In contrast, lower-level promotions (e.g., to captain or major, which number in the thousands annually) show women receiving roughly 23% of nominations—higher than in any prior year in the Times analysis.
The piece frames the high-level decline as tied to Hegseth’s pattern of intervening in promotion lists, consistent with earlier reporting on specific cases involving Navy and Army officers.
DEI was eliminated.
Correct when the DEI is taken out.
Good
Hegseth is bent on building a serious fighting military and apparently, he is limiting women’s role in combat arms. They didn’t belong there when I served and they don’t belong there now. They can serve honorably, just not in a fighting capacity in combat arms. If that cuts off their path for promotion, so be it. It’s for the better general good in getting the mission done with the least casualties.
Women’s Share? They have no share. This is not ownership. The US has the only share. And they select the best for the job regardless of gender or race.
Good! Keep women out! Like the sign on my “clubhouse”: No girls allowed!
What is their share of KIA?
What happens when filtering out promotions made for political purposes.
Now return the schools and courses to their pre-female standards.
“Good! Keep women out!”
I totally disagree. They are excellent fighters. Why just watch the movie GI Jane. As a Navy Seal she outperformed the men. And in other movies 90 pound women can throw 300 pound sumo wrestlers 20 feet. Besides, it’s sexist to prohibit women. /s/
Seriously, our culture does not make good female fighters like the Middle East nations do. Too many are pampered, physically weak and not emotionally fit for combat.
I’m good with that.
The NYT’s is crying that phony promotions are over in the military.
“Seriously, our culture does not make good female fighters like the Middle East nations do.”
Don’t forget they use their kids as bombers as well.
Perhaps the women aren’t performing as well as the men.
We need the best people in the most important jobs.
When sanity returns, there are many solid conservative women who can do the job.
Yup.
I’ll never forget the time I was in an OBC class when a female major and a crusty old Master Sargent were co-lecturing something. He made a comment about never encountering a female officer he could respect. Her only reaction was to turn crimson. I’ve always wondered how that worked out.
Level playing field yields relevant results
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