00:06Music
00:26Of the two dozen officers that you have filed for reasons unrelated to performance, since you have not indicated any
00:34cause,
00:3560% are black or female. Now, did the president direct you to single out female and black officers to
00:44be dismissed?
00:47Senator, of course not. And as we've emphasized at this department from the beginning, the only metric is merit.
00:56Members on this committee and the previous leadership of this department were focused on social engineering, race and gender,
01:04in ways that we think were unhealthy for the department. Focusing on those things, making decisions based on those things.
01:10In President Trump's War Department, we make decisions based on only one thing, merit. And that's how we've made decisions
01:16going forward.
01:17That's how we've made them. And that's how we'll make them going forward.
01:19Let me go.
01:19Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had reportedly overseen a sweeping overhaul of U.S. military leadership since taking office in early
01:282025.
01:29According to multiple reports and Senate discussions, more than 24 senior generals and flag officers had been fired, forced into
01:38retirement or sidelined during his tenure.
01:41The move had triggered intense political debate in Washington. During an April 30, 2026 Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Senator
01:51Jack Reed alleged that nearly 60% of those removed for non-performance related reasons were black or female officers.
02:00That claim immediately sparked controversy and accusations of bias in the restructuring process.
02:06High-profile dismissals had included senior figures, such as General C.Q. Brown, the first black chairman of the Joint
02:15Chiefs of Staff, and Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to serve as Chief of Naval Operations.
02:22Other senior officials across the Army and Air Force had also been removed or blocked from promotion during the ongoing
02:29shakeup.
02:30Critics argued the changes reflected a broader effort that disproportionately impacted diversity within top military leadership ranks, raising concerns about
02:40fairness and representation.
02:43However, Hegseth and administration officials had strongly rejected those claims.
02:47They stated that all decisions were based strictly on merit and operational readiness, arguing that the overhaul was aimed at
02:56removing what they described as politically influenced or non-combat focused leadership priorities.
03:03Supporters of the move said it was necessary to restore war fighting effectiveness and eliminate what they called excessive focus
03:10on diversity policies within command structures.
03:13The Pentagon, however, had not released a full official demographic breakdown of all affected officers, leaving many details unverified and
03:23politically disputed.
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