Rep. Cisneros Leads Letter to the Department of Defense Requesting Additional Information on Concerning Changes to the Military Promotion Process

WASHINGTON — This week, Congressman Gil Cisneros (CA-31) led a letter to the Department of Defense requesting information on proposed changes to the military promotion system. The letter expresses concerns that the new criteria being developed, from the directive given by Secretary Hegseth, will not be merit-based and may justify discriminatory practices.

“Every military service branch has a meticulous process for selecting officers for promotion. Before those recommendations reach the Secretary of Defense’s desk, senior officers on the promotion boards go through every individual record on the promotion list and select the best qualified individuals for promotion,” said Rep. Cisneros. “Adding an additional step to the promotion process is unnecessary and its only purpose is to give the Secretary an excuse to disqualify deserving officers, who do not match his demented image of what a warrior is. Secretary Hegseth has already pulled promotions for multiple senior officers for no discernible reason. Now, for the first time in over a decade, no active-duty women in the Navy will be promoted to admiral. They were removed from the list not because they are unqualified, but simply because they do not live up to Secretary Hegseth’s testosterone-filled vision of what he thinks our leaders should be. The Secretary must have faith in his senior military officers to make the selections for promotions to O-7 and O-8. Everyone selected for these promotions must also be appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. We don’t need to add another step to the process that will be led by an unconfirmed appointee with the intent of doing the Secretary’s dirty work. This week, I led a letter to the Department of Defense to inquire about changes to the military promotion process, the justification for having a non-senate confirmed civilian leading the promotion task force, and the process for informing Congress on any potential changes.”

Full text of the letter can be found here.

Rep. Cisneros is a Navy Veteran and the former Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. He currently serves on the House Armed Services Committee, Subcommittee on Military Personnel, and Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations. Rep. Cisneros is a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and serves on its leadership team as the Freshman Representative.

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