Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has been accused of forcing out a Navy officer who was weeks away from becoming the first woman to serve as a troop commander for SEAL Team Six, as part of a purge of 'wokeness' from the military. The unnamed captain, who has served for over two decades, had her orders revoked by the Pentagon just two weeks before she was to take the post, according to CNN.
Under the Navy's 'up or out' policy, the officer has no alternative role and her military career is effectively over. A defence official said the position is being reconsidered for necessity, while a Pentagon official denied Hegseth's involvement, stating the decision was based on the captain not being a SEAL. However, sources within Naval Special Warfare say the firing was undeserved and driven by gender bias, noting that elite SEAL leaders had chosen her for the job.
An anonymous retired senior enlisted Navy SEAL who voted for Donald Trump called the move 'f***in' bulls***,' adding that the officer—who runs Ironman events—was 'the best man for the job' with 'absolutely no DEI.' Another source said, 'They want to keep it the brotherhood and don’t like that she’s coming in and challenging the status quo.'
Hegseth said in September that there would be a male standard of fitness for all troops and declared, 'No more DEI, dudes in dresses, or gender delusion... prepare for war.' A Pentagon spokesperson stated, 'Our standards for combat arms positions will be elite, uniform, and sex neutral.' The Daily Mail has contacted the Pentagon for comment.
Mikie Sherrill, governor-elect of New Jersey and a former Navy pilot, criticised Hegseth on social media, saying, 'If Pete Hegseth believed in prioritizing merit in the military, he would have stepped down a long time ago.' She added, 'I’m proud to stand in a long line of bada** women who have served... even when people like Pete Hegseth refuse to give us equal opportunity to lead.'
