Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s campaign to eliminate diversity programs and reshape military leadership is prompting concern among Black service members who say their qualifications and patriotism are being called into question.
President Donald Trump’s administration has abolished Pentagon diversity, equity and inclusion programs, removed related material from military websites and increased scrutiny of senior officers. Hegseth argues the changes restore a “colorblind, gender-neutral, merit-based” system focused on combat readiness.
“For too long, we’ve promoted too many uniformed leaders for the wrong reasons — based on their race, based on gender quotas, based on historic so-called firsts,” Hegseth said in a 2025 speech. A Pentagon task force later declared the department’s elimination of DEI initiatives successful.
But critics contend the campaign treats the advancement of Black officers as evidence of favoritism, despite the military’s extensive promotion reviews.
In March, Hegseth reportedly removed two Black men and two women from an Army list of officers recommended for promotion to one-star general. Army leaders had reportedly defended their records.
Pentagon officials disputed accounts of discriminatory decision-making, saying promotions under Hegseth are based exclusively on merit. Hegseth subsequently removed several officers, including Black and female personnel, from a Navy promotion list; white men were also removed.
Writing in The Atlantic, Clint Smith said many of the roughly two dozen Black military personnel he interviewed felt disrespected or pressured to leave.
Smith reported that some remain because they view their service as part of a centuries-long tradition of Black Americans defending a country that has not always protected them.
The consequences could extend beyond military leadership. Military service has long provided Black families with education, housing, stable employment and a pathway into the middle class. Black senior officers also mentor younger personnel who may otherwise feel isolated.
Guest:
Clint Smith is a staff writer at The Atlantic. He is the author of the upcoming nonfiction book "Just Beneath the Soil," the narrative nonfiction book, "How the Word Is Passed," and the poetry collections, "Counting Descent" and "Above Ground."
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