Nationwide — US Army Lieutenant General Telita Crosland, a high-ranking Black female officer and head of the military’s health agency, was forced to retire after 32 years of service. Her removal follows a series of leadership changes after President Trump’s recent shake-up within the military.Crosland’s retirement was officially announced on February 28th. Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Stephen Ferrara said in a statement, “I want to thank Crosland for her dedication to the nation, to the military health system, and to Army medicine for the past 32 years.”
However, two anonymous sources revealed she was ordered to step down without an explanation, according to Reuters. The Pentagon declined to comment on the matter, directing inquiries to the Defense Health Agency, which did not respond.
The move comes amid ongoing efforts by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs within the military. Hegseth has called DEI programs divisive and has also ended military recruitment at a prestigious Black Engineer Awards event, along with military participation in Black History Month activities.
Meanwhile, despite being one of the Army’s highest-ranking Black female officers, Crosland has previously stated that she does not define her work by race or gender.
“I don’t actually frame anything I do day-in and day-out in the terms of my race or my gender. That’s always been a hard question for me to answer,” she said in an article on the agency’s website last year. “It’s not because I don’t understand the responsibility … certainly, there are challenges that come from being a woman in the military, there are challenges that come from being African American, and being in the military.”