Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is denying promotions and pushing out officers who raise questions about his directives, according to insiders. Two former officers told MS NOW they were pushed out of their jobs and forced to retire early after questioning command decisions. Targets have included women, people of color, judge advocate generals and officers tied to events Hegseth believes were mishandled. Two former officers told MS NOW they were pushed out of their jobs. “What he was trying to do was establish primacy over the armed forces in a public way,” the officer said.