Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth intervened to stop the promotions of four Army officers, two Black and two female soldiers on track to become one-star generals, NPR has confirmed.

According to a U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly, Hegseth made the highly unusual move of interfering in the regular promotion process, as first reported in the New York Times. A second U.S. official also not authorized to speak publicly confirmed that Hegseth has been weeding out senior officers who are deemed ideologically incompatible.

Before his appointment by the Trump administration, Hegseth wrote books disparaging the U.S. military as woke and suggesting that diversity in the ranks had weakened the force.

Since he took office, Hegseth has conducted a major restructuring of the Pentagon, including widespread firings of four-star admirals and generals. Hegseth fired Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown, the second African American to hold the job, questioning in his book The War on Warriors whether Brown got the job by merit or his race. Hegseth also fired Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to hold the Navy's top uniformed job. In both cases, no explanation was given for their removal.

In a statement to NPR, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell called the reporting "fake news," adding that, "Under Secretary Hegseth, military promotions are given to those who have earned them. Meritocracy, which reigns in this Department, is apolitical and unbiased."