War Secretary Pete Hegseth recently blocked the promotions of several Navy officers who had been selected by a board of senior admirals to be promoted to one-star admirals.

Hegseth, who has long touted his belief that the military should be a meritocracy, blocked the promotions of nine Navy officers, according to the New York Times. Of those nine officers, three of the officers are women, two are black men, and four are white men.