Hegseth's office used internet-search printouts to withhold Navy promotions, Pentagon official tells MS NOW
Nine of 31 officers picked for one-star rank were held back, the official said; the Pentagon says all advancement is merit-based.
Published
Claim
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's office used paper-only files of internet search printouts to withhold promotions from Navy officers already selected by merit-based boards, including nine of 31 picked for one-star rank, a senior official told MS NOW on 9 November 2026 (UTC).
What's supported
- A senior official told MS NOW that nine of 31 officers selected for one-star rank were withheld after internet-search reports.
- Two officers whose promotions were withheld confirmed the official's account to MS NOW.
- The Pentagon told MS NOW that advancement is merit-based and that Hegseth acted within his authority.
What's not established
- The names of the officers whose promotions were withheld.
- Whether the Pentagon inspector general or Congress will review the process.
What would confirm it
Release of the withheld promotion list or the paper files, an inspector general finding, or on-record testimony from the affected officers.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's office withheld promotions from senior Navy officers already chosen by merit-based selection boards after staff compiled paper-only files of internet search printouts, a senior official with in-depth knowledge of flag and general officer selection told MS NOW in a report published at 10:00 UTC on November 9. Two officers whose promotions were withheld confirmed the official's account, according to MS NOW.
Of the 31 officers selected by a one-star board, approximately 15 ended up with reports and nine of those were withheld from promotion, the official told MS NOW. The official said all of the women and minorities except one who were initially selected by the board were removed, and called it the most names withheld from promotion in the Navy's history.
The files cited items such as allowing a celebration that included rainbow flags, a Pride Month event, disciplining an officer who refused the Covid vaccine, speaking at a National Hispanic American Heritage Month celebration aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt and joining AFRICOM's International Women's Day panel, according to MS NOW. Instructions on the new criteria were relayed by phone rather than put in writing, The Independent reported.
Cody Harnish, a military defense attorney and former Army judge advocate general, told MS NOW that pulling officers from the list after selection "is illegal." Under the Defense Officer Personnel Management Act, an officer facing a delayed promotion gets written notice and a chance to respond; the officers told MS NOW they learned of the decision by phone and were not given a chance to respond.
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told MS NOW that Hegseth is "reviving the warrior ethos" and "will not retreat from the historic transformation he has undertaken." Parnell did not respond to questions about whether the intervention broke the law governing military promotions, MS NOW reported. @thedailybeast shared The Daily Beast's write-up of the report on X at 14:40 UTC.