Overview

• Jackson posted Navy Secretary John Phelan’s letter stating his retired grade was reinstated after a review, and the Navy confirmed the decision as effective immediately.
• The 2022 Pentagon inspector general report said Jackson disparaged subordinates, made sexual and denigrating comments, violated alcohol policy on trips, and used prescription sleep medication while traveling, leading to his demotion to captain.
• Jackson has rejected the findings as a political attack and wrote on X that he “was, and still am” a retired rear admiral.
• Coverage notes the move comes alongside other Pentagon decisions portrayed as favoring Trump allies, including military funeral honors for Ashli Babbitt and the firing of Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
• Jackson served as a White House physician under Presidents Bush, Obama and Trump, retired from the Navy in 2019, withdrew from a 2018 VA nomination, and won a House seat in 2020.