The promotions Warren says Hegseth is blocking would fill leadership at Alaska's strategically critical installations

The senior military promotions Sen. Elizabeth Warren accused Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of blocking Tuesday are the same flag and general officer pipeline that fills command at U.S. Army Alaska, Alaskan Command at JBER, Eielson's F-35 wing, Fort Greely's missile defense forces, and Coast Guard District 17. Disruption at the top of that process eventually reaches Alaska, whose installations have moved toward the center of Pentagon Arctic and Indo-Pacific strategy.

During a Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel markup, Warren said the Navy's latest list of 22 one-star admiral promotions included no women. "Reporting indicates that the last time the Navy promoted a woman to a one-star role was last June," she said. "And Secretary Hegseth reportedly removed the nominations of two women and two Black men from the original promotion list."

Warren said Hegseth also blocked nine Air Force colonels and "has also reportedly delayed the promotion of at least 2 dozen senior Air Force officers, quote, while the Pentagon reviews their ties to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies." She called the actions "unprecedented intervention in military promotions" that "will create lasting damage to our military and lasting damage to our country."

Federal law sets the process. Title 10 of the U.S. Code requires selection boards to recommend officers for advancement, with final approval by the Secretary of Defense and President and Senate confirmation. Allegations that senior leaders are targeting officers based on DEI involvement raise potential conflicts with federal equal employment opportunity and military anti-discrimination laws.

The subcommittee, chaired by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, advanced its fiscal 2027 NDAA recommendations, including provisions on military compensation, healthcare, child care, TRICARE pharmacy oversight, and traumatic brain injury treatment.