Women’s Share of Top Military Nominations Falls to 4% as Hegseth Blocks 40 Promotions
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 6
Women’s Share of Top Military Nominations Falls to 4% as Hegseth Blocks 40 Promotions
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 6
Summary
Eight of 201 candidates for high-ranking military posts this year have been women, cutting their share to 4% — the lowest level in at least 25 years, according to a New York Times analysis.
At least 40 senior promotions have been held back from the Senate in recent months under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and about half involved women and people of color, depressing this year’s female nomination rate.
Hegseth has not publicly detailed the individual holds, but he has argued the Pentagon promoted too many leaders for diversity-related reasons and said past efforts weakened the military.
The drop follows 2025, when women reached a record share of top nominees in Hegseth’s first year, though the small annual pool means a few blocked cases can sharply shift the percentage.