Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces criticism over promotion blocks and Pentagon transparency claim

A spokesperson for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, acting press secretary Joel Valdez, asserted on X that the Pentagon is "the most transparent War Department in history" and that the Pentagon Press Office had been redesignated as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility. The remarks were widely ridiculed by analysts and journalists, with fact‑checkers noting that the transparency claim was dubious.

A separate report by the New York Times alleged that Hegseth intervened in the Navy’s promotion process, removing at least seven officers—including Black men and women—from a list of one‑star admiral nominees. The revised list reportedly contained no female officers and only two non‑white officers, prompting accusations that the secretary is blocking promotions for Black service members and women in violation of Pentagon rules governing merit‑based advancement.