'Meritocracy reigns supreme': Hegseth’s Pentagon fires back after Mark Kelly’s race and gender claims

WASHINGTON, DC: The Pentagon on Thursday, July 30, rejected allegations by Senator Mark Kelly that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth targeted women and Black military officers because of their race or gender, saying personnel decisions are based solely on merit.

The response came after the Arizona Democrat accused Hegseth of repeatedly removing senior leaders from top positions because of their identities, warning that the moves could have lasting consequences for military leadership. Pentagon officials disputed those claims, saying race and gender play no role in promotion or appointment decisions.

Pentagon defends merit-based military promotions after Kelly’s claims

Kelly, a retired Navy captain and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, made the allegations during an interview with journalist Katie Couric, claiming Hegseth had repeatedly removed women and Black officers from senior military positions.

"They also fire women, and they fire Black people because of their gender and the color of their skin," Kelly said. "They've done that repeatedly. They don't even try to make excuses about it. They just fire them."

Responding to the remarks, the Pentagon pointed to previous statements from Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell and Acting Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez, both of whom rejected the suggestion that identity influences 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," Parnell said. "Under President Trump and Secretary of War, Hegseth, meritocracy reigns supreme at the War Department."

Valdez also reiterated the administration’s position, writing previously that, "Here's the bottom line: anyone who has an issue with merit-based promotions should reconsider their values. Promotions based solely on race and gender is wrong."

Kelly cites Pentagon leadership changes under Hegseth

Kelly argued that recent personnel decisions under Hegseth, including the removal of former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen CQ Brown and Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to serve as Chief of Naval Operations, reflected what he described as a broader pattern of sidelining senior leaders based on race or gender.

He warned that such decisions could discourage talented officers from remaining in military service.

"We're losing a generation of leaders because there will be women and Black people that'll say, 'Well, I don't feel like I have opportunity here anymore. I'm just going to leave mid-career instead of staying.' So, we'll lose some of our best people," Kelly said.

Brown was dismissed by President Donald Trump shortly after taking office in 2025, while Hegseth also sought replacements for Franchetti, Air Force Vice Chief Gen. Jim Slife and the judge advocates general of the Army, Navy and Air Force as part of a broader restructuring of Pentagon leadership

The exchange came a week after two former military officers anonymously alleged that Hegseth forced them into early retirement after they questioned his directives. They claimed the defense secretary had sidelined experienced military leaders who challenged his decisions. However, the Pentagon dismissed those allegations as "completely false."