US defense secretary fires several senior Pentagon officials
(MENAFN) Several senior Pentagon officials, including the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), have been dismissed by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to multiple reports on Friday.
The reasons for the shake-up have not been fully explained, though the removals came after leaks suggested that recent US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities had fallen short of claims made by President Donald Trump, who insisted the program had been destroyed.
Three US officials confirmed that Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, the DIA director, was among those fired, along with two senior Navy leaders. Sources identified them as Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore, commander of the Navy Reserve, and Rear Adm. Milton Sands, who oversaw Naval Special Warfare Command.
According to reports, Kruse’s dismissal was linked to a “loss of confidence” after it emerged that an internal DIA review concluded the June strikes on Iran only set back its nuclear activities by a few months. Trump dismissed such accounts as “fake news,” while both he and Hegseth maintained that Tehran’s program had been “obliterated.”
The changes are part of a broader overhaul of Pentagon leadership in recent months. Earlier, Gen. C.Q. Brown Jr. was removed as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, while Air Force chief of staff Gen. David Allvin opted for early retirement amid disagreements with the administration. Trump has also vowed to root out what he calls “woke” ideology within the military.
Additionally, the administration revoked security clearances for dozens of current and former officials this week. Tulsi Gabbard, serving as Director of National Intelligence, said the move targeted individuals accused of “politicizing and manipulating intelligence, leaking classified intelligence without authorization, and/or committing intentional egregious violations of tradecraft standards.”
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