US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has dismissed three top military officials, including Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), in a move that has raised questions about tensions between intelligence assessments and White House claims.
According to Reuters, the dismissals also include Vice Admiral Nancy Lacore, chief of the US Naval Reserves, and Rear Admiral Milton Sands, commander of Naval Special Warfare Command. The decision came as a shock to the officers, who said they were given no explanation for their sudden removal.
The shake-up followed DIA’s preliminary assessment of recent US airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. The agency’s June findings indicated that the strikes inflicted only limited damage—contradicting President Donald Trump’s statement that the facilities had been “completely obliterated.”
Both the Pentagon and the White House confirmed Kruse’s dismissal but declined to provide a specific reason. Congressional officials, however, told NBC News that they were informed the removals were due to a “lack of confidence,” a vague phrase often used within military circles to justify leadership changes.
Senator Mark Warner, vice chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, sharply criticized the move, saying: “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.”
Christine Bordine, the agency’s deputy director, has stepped in as Acting Director of the DIA, according to a spokesperson.
The dismissals have sparked fresh debate in Washington over the relationship between intelligence agencies and the Trump administration, particularly in light of sensitive national security matters.
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