A female Navy officer was about to be given a historic role overseeing elite Navy SEALs before Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth allegedly stepped in, a new report claims.
The unnamed officer was set to be the first woman in a Naval Special Warfare command after becoming the first woman to serve with SEAL Team Six as troop commander.
A formal ceremony celebrating the new role was scheduled for last July, but two weeks before the event, her command was canceled, multiple sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
There was speculation in the Naval Special Warfare community that the command was likely canceled by Hegseth because he didn’t want a woman in a role that is closely aligned with recruiting Navy SEALs and other elite roles.
“They want to keep it the brotherhood and don’t like that she’s coming in and challenging the status quo,” one Navy special operations official told CNN.
The Independent has reached out to the Navy for comment.
Hegseth has made some controversial past remarks about the inclusion of women in the military. He said on a podcast last year, before he was confirmed as defense secretary, the military “should not have women in combat roles.”
The secretary defended his views during his Senate confirmation hearing.
“I respect every single female service member that has put on the uniform past and present,” he said. “My critiques, senator, recently and in the past, and from personal experience, have been instances where I’ve seen standards lowered,” for women to participate in combat.
As of the 2024 budget year, there were hundreds of women serving in special operations roles in the military, including two part of the Navy Special Warfare combat crew, according to the Associated Press.
The Pentagon told CNN women are “excited” to serve under the “strong leadership” of Hegseth and President Donald Trump. Defense officials also claimed military standards “across the board have largely been ignored by leadership of the past.”
