Members of Count Every Hero sent a letter to the Senate and House Armed Services Committees highlighting threats to military effectiveness and morale posed by political intervention in the military promotion process.

Washington, DC — In a letter to leaders of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, members of Count Every Hero expressed their serious concern over reports of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth blocking or delaying promotions for at least a dozen senior officers across multiple military branches. By removing candidates from promotion lists assembled by senior boards without specified disqualification, the actions risk normalizing politicized promotion decisions.

The former national security leaders called on Congressional leaders to enact bipartisan “procedural guardrails that protect merit-based promotions from political interference— including clear timelines for promotion transmittals, limits on unilateral removals without proper process, written notice to Congressional committees, and a meaningful opportunity to respond for any affected officer” to prevent this harmful normalization.

“Readiness suffers when leadership gaps go unfilled. Retention suffers when officers conclude that advancement depends on perceived political loyalty rather than professional merit. And once politicized promotion decisions become normalized, future administrations of either party may feel entitled to engage in retributive personnel decisions creating instability that will outlast any single administration.”

Read the full letter here.