It was reported last week that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. General Jeffrey Kruse.
Sources told the Washington Post that the official reason for Kruse's sacking was Hegseth's “loss of confidence” in the general, a justification the Defense secretary has previously used to justify the removal of other senior military officers at the Pentagon.
The Pentagon confirmed with the Associated Press, that Kruse was no longer serving as the director of the DIA as of August 22, but offered no official reason for the firing.
The general is the latest senior figure at the Pentagon to be removed from command, as the Trump Administration continues to purge the top ranks of the American military and intelligence establishments of those at odds with the policies of President Donald Trump.
Hegseth also relieved from their duties Vice Admiral Nancy Lacore, chief of the Navy Reserve, and Rear Admiral Milton Sands, head of Naval Special Warfare Command.
The DIA, which is the Pentagon’s main intelligence service, has been facing scrutiny from the White House, after it was reported that the agency had leaked to the media a June intelligence report on the damage caused by the June 13 U.S. airstrikes on Iran's three main nuclear sites.
The leaked report is at odds with official statements from the White House that Iran's ability to produce nuclear weapons was eliminated.
A copy of the preliminary DIA assessment, which was received by the New York Times and CNN, found that the airstrikes had set back Iran's nuclear program by only a few months.
The Trump administration rejected the DIA report's findings and has stated that the airstrikes against Iran's nuclear facilities were a complete success.
Kruse's exit comes the same week that Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin announced he was planning to retire in November, despite only serving in his post for two years out of the five-year term. Allvin did not give a reason for his departure.
Hegseth has fired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles “C.Q.” Brown, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, Coast Guard Commandant Linda Fagan, and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife.
The Trump administration has also simultaneously purged several top officials in the intellence community, like the head of the powerful National Security Agency, Gen. Timothy Haugh, and his deputy, Wendy Noble.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard removed the acting chair of the National Intelligence Council, Michael Collins, and his deputy back in May, after they both endorsed a report that contradicted President Trump’s justification for invoking the Alien Enemies Act to deport illegal Venezuelan gang members.
Deputy Defense Intelligence Agency Director Christine Bordine, who is currently serving as acting director of the agency, will take Kruse's place, an official told the Washington Examiner.
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