Escalation: Hegseth blocks seven Navy promotions

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed seven Navy officers from a promotion list for two-star admiral. The list had 22 candidates chosen by a board of senior admirals after reviewing careers of more than 25 years. Rear Adm. Amy Bauernschmidt, the first woman to command a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, was among those cut.

Five of the seven are women or people of color. The move puts the Navy on track for the first year in more than a decade without a female active-duty officer promoted to admiral. Those removed cannot advance to the next rank unless they are nominated again and confirmed by the Senate.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources