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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has dismissed three senior military leaders, including the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, after an assessment of U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear program angered President Donald Trump, officials confirmed Friday.
Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, who oversaw the DIA, was removed from his post following months of friction over the agency’s initial analysis of U.S. airstrikes against Iranian nuclear sites. That report, which leaked earlier this year, concluded the strikes had set back Iran’s program only a few months — contradicting Trump’s declaration that Tehran’s capabilities had been “completely and fully obliterated.”
Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore, chief of the Navy Reserve, and Rear Adm. Milton Sands, who led Naval Special Warfare Command, were also fired, a U.S. official said. No reasons were publicly given.
Tensions between Trump and intelligence community
The firings come amid a wave of dismissals of military and intelligence leaders during Trump’s second administration, moves critics say reflect a pattern of punishing officials whose assessments clash with the president’s political narrative.
“The firing of yet another senior national security official underscores the Trump administration’s dangerous habit of treating intelligence as a loyalty test rather than a safeguard for our country,” said Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, warned the shakeup could erode independent analysis. “Otherwise, we can only assume that this is another politically motivated decision intended to create an atmosphere of fear,” he said.
Fallout from Iran strike assessment
Trump, joined by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, hailed the June airstrikes as devastating to Iran’s nuclear capabilities. But the DIA’s preliminary analysis challenged that claim, finding Tehran’s program remained largely intact.
At the time, Hegseth dismissed questions about the report, insisting: “You want to call it destroyed, you want to call it defeated, you want to call it obliterated — choose your word. This was an historically successful attack.”
Still, the clash underscored Trump’s repeated frustration with intelligence findings that diverge from his public assertions.
Broader purge of military leadership
Kruse’s dismissal follows a string of high-profile removals of Pentagon officials. The administration has already ousted Air Force Gen. C.Q. Brown Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Tim Haugh as head of the National Security Agency, and several senior Navy and NATO officials.
Earlier this week, the Pentagon announced that Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin would retire two years early. Meanwhile, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence revealed plans to slash its staff and budget, further tightening Trump’s control over the intelligence community.
The White House and Pentagon have not explained the specific reasons for the firings. Some ousted officers were believed to have supported diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that the administration opposes.
Trump’s broader approach to data and analysis
The shakeups extend beyond the military. Trump has also removed government officials whose work contradicted his positions on the economy, climate change, and public health. This month, he fired a senior economic official after a disappointing jobs report and previously halted government publication of climate and vaccine access studies.
For critics, the pattern is clear: dissenting data is being sidelined. For Trump and his allies, the reshuffling is part of what they call a strategy to streamline national security and place loyalty at the forefront of government decision-making.
