With Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s military leadership purge adding the recent resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, Biden-era defense and national security spokesperson John Kirby wants to make sure the Pentagon chief’s culture war targeting women in the military doesn’t get swept under the rug.
In an opinion piece for MS Now, the retired rear admiral stressed how Hegseth’s decision to fire or block the promotions of more than 80 generals and admirals — many of whom were Black or women — and his focus on rooting out any signs of diversity, equity and inclusion in the department have made the U.S. military weaker and undermined long-term national security.
“Hegseth is not just campaigning against DEI; he’s campaigning against DNA,” Kirby wrote. “If you don’t have a Y chromosome, then you don’t have much of a shot at senior leadership. That’s a wholly new and different ‘war on warriors.’ And nobody wins that one — not Hegseth, not the military and certainly not the American people.”
A Pentagon spokesperson did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment, though the department has previously denied any bias in its promotion process. Hegseth has, however, baselessly argued in the past that the Pentagon’s efforts to increase diversity weaken the military and that women are not suited for combat roles.
“This administration has done a great deal from day one to remove the social justice, politically correct and toxic ideological garbage that had infected our department,” Hegseth told the force last year.
Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
Hegseth’s purge has affected about 10% of the nation’s top military officers, the most recent major shakeup being Driscoll’s resignation. Military officials told The New York Times that Driscoll, beloved by both sides of the aisle, complained to President Donald Trump about Hegseth firing and blocking promotions for some of the Army’s most combat-tested service members — and warned the moves have caused some in the military to question the fairness of a promotion system meant to be apolitical and merit-based.
This year marks the lowest percentage of women nominated to general and admiral rank in over two decades, according to a Times analysis, with no women likely to be nominated to admiral rank this year for the first time in more than a decade.
“The U.S. military is an all-volunteer force, with women counting for about 10% of Marines and closer to 20% of the other services. Women serve on every type of warship, including submarines. They fly fighter jets, command bases and serve in elite units such as the Army Rangers. There are very few military specialties today that don’t include women,” Kirby wrote.
“Our military cannot afford to deprive itself of this talent. And there is value — despite Hegseth’s protestations — in fielding a force that looks like and represents the people it defends, especially when you ask those same people to join it,” he continued. “That’s a big part of what an ‘all’ volunteer force means.”
“Hegseth likes to talk about lethality. These women kicked lethality’s butt.”
– John Kirby, former Pentagon spokesperson and national security adviser
Kirby cited several high-ranking women in the military, including Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti, Air Force Lt. Gen. Jennifer Short and Navy Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, who were booted from their positions by Hegseth despite their combat experience and leadership.
“Hegseth likes to talk about lethality. These women kicked lethality’s butt,” he wrote, adding that replacing the female leaders’ wisdom and experience “will take at least a decade — if we’re lucky.”
“What message are the younger women still in uniform, those who aspire to be an admiral or a general, taking away from all this?” he continued. “If conversations I am having with former female colleagues and shipmates are any indication it is this: Thank you for your service, ladies, but don’t get any uppity ideas.”
Kirby’s op-ed comes just days after Biden-era Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall III wrote his own op-ed in the Times describing a climate of fear under Hegseth and demanding military officers stand up against the department’s immorality.
“I’ve never seen an attempt to politicize our military like the one being conducted by Pete Hegseth,” Kendall told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, citing the firings and blocked promotions.
“That effect is rippling all the way down through the ranks. It’s causing people to be afraid and refuse — and in many cases, I think he’s not getting good advice because people are afraid to tell him things that he doesn’t want to hear,” he continued. “Long-term serious damage is being done to our military.”