The Department of War (DoW) rejected Sen.Mark Kelly's allegations Thursday that War Secretary Pete Hegseth targeted women and Black military officers because of their identities. In a statement to Fox News Digital responding to Kelly's interview on "Next Question with Katie Couric," the department pointed to statements from two Pentagon spokesmen maintaining that military promotions were based on merit, not race and gender.Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said the department would not use a service member's identity when making promotion decisions."As we’ve said before, military promotions are given to those who have earned them.
The Department will never consider the color of a service member’s skin or their gender as a factor in promotions.Under President Trump and @SecWar Hegseth, meritocracy reigns supreme at the War Department," Parnell said in one of the statements cited by the department to Fox News Digital.SENATE REPUBLICAN PUSHES MERIT-BASED MILITARY PROMOTIONS, TARGETS BIDEN-ERA DEI POLICIESPresident Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth salute as a U.S.
Army carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of Pvt.Isabella Gonzales of Carrollton, Texas, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware.
(AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)"They also fire women and they fire Black people because of their gender and the color of their skin," he told Couric."They've done that repeatedly.
They don't even try to make excuses about it.They just fire them."Kelly, a retired Navy captain and member of the Armed Services Committee, previously accused Hegseth of removing former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen.
CQ Brown because of his race in an appearance Sunday on MS NOW's "PoliticsNation." President Donald Trump fired Brown shortly after taking office again in 2025.The Arizona Democrat also pointed to the removal of Adm.Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to serve as chief of naval operations, as he accused Hegseth of blocki...