A senior Black female officer in the U.S. Army has been forced into mandatory retirement, according to claims by two officials. Lieutenant General Telita Crosland, head of the U.S. Military Health Agency, was reportedly compelled to leave her position on Friday, February 28, as reported by British news agency Reuters.
Stephen Ferrara, the acting Assistant Secretary for Health at the Department of Defense, stated that Crosland has already entered retirement. He expressed gratitude on behalf of everyone for her contributions over the past 32 years to the nation, military health, and the medical field.
This move comes amid widespread changes in senior military leadership by U.S. President Donald Trump. Just a week prior, he dismissed several high-ranking officials, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, signaling unprecedented shifts within the military.
Reuters spoke with one former and one current official regarding Crosland’s retirement. Under anonymity, they revealed that Crosland was not given any alternative options and was simply ordered to retire. She was not even informed of the reasons for her retirement.
When contacted for comments, the Pentagon referred Reuters to the Defense Health Agency (DHA), but DHA did not respond.
Previously, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had taken steps to reverse diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at the Pentagon, arguing that such programs were causing division. He had described the notion of strengthening the military through diversity as “utter foolishness” and canceled specific gender, race, or ethnicity-based observances such as Black History Month and Women’s History Month.
Advocates of diversity and inclusion programs argue that such initiatives provide increased opportunities for women, ethnic minorities, and marginalized groups, helping to address systemic inequalities and racism. However, these programs are generally associated with Democratic policies, which Republicans often oppose.
Last year, Crosland wrote in an article on her office’s website that she does not think differently about herself due to her identity as a Black woman in the military.