As Pete Hegseth continues to rally support for his appointment as leader of the Ministry of Defensea conservative research group has compiled a list of “woke” senior officers they want him to fire if he is confirmed to lead the Pentagon.
In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital, the American Accountability Foundation (AAF) sent a letter to Hegseth with a list of 20 general officers or senior admirals it believes are excessively focused on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and other similar left-wing officials . wing initiatives. Eight of those twenty are women.
Those on the list appear to have been targeted in many cases for public comments they made in interviews or at diversity events, and in some cases for retweeting messages promoting diversity. AAF says focusing on such policies is a drag on national security, while some military leaders have expressed concerns about the list.
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, is seen meeting with Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., at the Hart Building on Dec. 5. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images, left, US Army, right.)
“The woke takeover of the military is a major threat to our national security,” AAF President Thomas Jones wrote in the letter to Hegseth dated Tuesday and first published by the U.S. Air Force. New York Post.
“As global tensions rise, with Iran on the rise, Russia at war and China in the midst of a massive military build-up, we cannot afford to have a military distracted and demoralized by left-wing ideology,” he added. “Those responsible for putting this policy in place in the first place should be fired.”
The term “awake” is often used in reference to progressive, politically correct positions on race, gender ideology, and other current topics.
The group posted on X that the woke leaders should be fired on day one. “Wokeness has no place in the military,” the group wrote.
On Friday, the AAF doubled its position.
“Many don’t want to hear this, but it’s the truth: DEI in the military will get people killed. STOP IT NOW BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE,” AAF wrote on X.
Hegseth, a former Minnesota National Guard officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, has embraced Trump’s efforts to end programs that promote diversity in the ranks and fire those who reflect those values. He has long protested the military’s embrace of DEI policies over meritocracy, complaining that it also distracts from war preparedness.
TRUMP SET DESANTIS AS POTENTIAL REPLACEMENT FOR DEFENSE SECRETARY IF HEGSETH FALT
Donald Trump’s President-elect Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense is accompanied by his wife Jennifer Rauchet as they walk through the basement of the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
If confirmed This role would put Hegseth in charge of 1.3 million active-duty military personnel and the nearly 1 million civilians who work for the military.
Those on the list include Air Force Col. Ben Jonsson, who wrote an op-ed in July 2020 demanding his white colleagues “care” and “address our blind spots around race,” according to the letter.
Also in the AAF’s crosshairs is Navy Vice Adm. Jeffery Hughes, who spoke at the 2022 DEI Summit and underscored the importance of DEI recruiting “exceptional talent.”
Air Force Major General Elizabeth Arledge was also on the list and was noticed by the AAF for making “woke posts” on her social media.
In one post, Arledge shared articles with “discussions about whiteness in organizational theory and the ways in which whiteness (verb) has become naturalized as the ideal in organizations.”
Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield was also mentioned and panned for a 2015 speech in which she lamented that lawmakers in the House of Representatives at the time were 80% male, proclaiming that “our diversity is our strength. “
Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield was one of 20 people on the list. (Noam Galai/Getty Images for Ellis Island Honors Society))
Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for Trump’s transition team, said in a statement: “No policy should be considered official unless it comes directly from President Trump.”
A defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the list said senior leaders hope once Trump is sworn in they can discuss the matter further. They are prepared to provide additional context to the new administration, the official told The Associated Press, which reports it is not publishing the names to protect the privacy of service members.
Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Friday that the list would have “significant, broad and profound consequences.” He said when military members see people being singled out, they will start to focus on their own survival rather than the mission or their job.
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Multiple sources confirmed to Fox News that Trump is reportedly considering appointing Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as Secretary of Defense instead of Hegseth, amid allegations against him.
But Hegseth brushed off the potential replacement, telling reporters he was willing to fight.
“As long as Donald Trump wants me in this fight, I will stand here in this fight and fight to return our Pentagon to what it needs to be,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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