Since Pete Hegseth took over as defense secretary at the start of the second Trump administration, at least 20 generals, admirals, and civilian military executives have been dismissed or left their positions.
The highest ranking officers in the Army, Navy, and Air Force as well as the commanders of important units are among the military’s most distinguished leaders who have either been sacked by Hegseth and President Trump or have resigned without providing a reason. Top civilian commanders in the Army and Navy have also resigned or been expelled.
Quick Fact
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| What happened | Several senior US military leaders left their positions. |
| Where | United States Department of Defense, Washington DC. |
| When | 2025 and 2026. |
| Who is involved | Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump, and senior military officers. |
| Current status | The military has experienced several senior leadership changes. |
| Why it matters | The changes affect military leadership and long term planning. |
Hegseth had been critical of military officials before to his appointment as defense secretary, accusing them of being overly preoccupied with diversity projects and not doing enough to help frontline service personnel.
He said on a webcast before to his nomination that “any general that was involved general, admiral, whatever that was involved in any of the DEI woke has got to go.”
A person familiar with the lists told news that Black female officers have been disproportionately removed from promotion lists and that the Trump administration has pushed out top female and Black police. As of right now, the military does not have any active four-star female generals or admirals.
Trump Fires Air Force General Charles Brown
General Charles Q. Brown of the Air Force, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
16 months into Brown’s four-year tenure as the highest ranking military commander, Mr. Trump unexpectedly sacked Brown in a February 2025 social media post honoring service.
Brown, a veteran fighter pilot with over 3,100 flying hours, was the second Black general in military history to hold the position of chairman. Regarding the removal, Hegseth only stated to Fox News that the president ought to be free to choose his adviser. According to him, Brown is “an honorable man, not the right man for the moment.”
Hegseth Removes Senior Military Officers
Franchetti was the second woman to be appointed to four-star admiral and the first female member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. After leading the 6th Fleet and U.S. navy Forces Korea, as well as an aircraft carrier strike group and a navy destroyer, Biden nominated her to be chief of naval operations in 2023.
Hegseth pushed out Franchetti and Slife in a statement following Mr. Trump’s announcement of Brown’s resignation in February of last year. Hegseth congratulated both policemen for their service and stated they had “distinguished careers” in his statement.
Hegseth’s Shakeup of Senior Military Leadership
In April, Hegseth requested that George, the highest ranking uniformed officer in the Army, resign immediately. George was a career infantry soldier who fought in both the first Gulf War and the more recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also served as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s senior military advisor during the Biden administration.
Just over halfway through his two-year tenure as the senior general of the Air Force, Allvin retired in November of last year. He did not explain why he left so early. Hegseth’s office was not engaged in the decision, according to an Air Force official.
After serving as vise chief, Biden proposed Allvin, a command pilot, for the position.
