Pete Hegseth Axes Navy Official Who Promoted ‘Gender Equality And Women’s Empowerment’

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has “removed U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield from her position as U.S. representative to NATO’s military committee,” Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell announced on Tuesday.

Parnell announced the news in a statement on X, adding that Vice Admiral Chatfield had been removed by the Defense Secretary “due to a loss of confidence in her ability to lead,” but giving no specifics as to what that might mean. He further noted, “The Defense Department is grateful for her many years of military service.”

Secretary Hegseth has removed U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield from her position as U.S. representative to NATO’s military committee due to a loss of confidence in her ability to lead. The Defense Department is grateful for her many years of military service.

— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellATSD) April 8, 2025

Chatfield has held the position since 2023, after a delay in her promotion due to Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s lengthy blockade of military promotions over the Pentagon’s abortion policies — but comments she had made in previous years were what put her on the radar of conservative critics.

Speaking on Women’s Equality Day in 2015, for example, Chatfield had complained about the gender imbalance in the halls of power and said that “investing in gender equality and women’s empowerment can unlock human potential on a transformational scale.”

Chatfield, the only woman serving on the NATO Military Committee, is the third high-ranking female military officer to be relieved of duty since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January. Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to hold the top rank in the United States Navy, was also let go earlier this year; as was Admiral Linda Fagan, the U.S. Coast Guard’s first female leader.

No specific reason has been given for Chatfield’s termination, and thus far, the Defense Department has given no indication of who might serve as her replacement or when that replacement might be chosen.