Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse has been removed as head of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Kruse after the agency’s initial intelligence assessment of U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites drew the ire of President Donald Trump, according to two people familiar with the decision and a White House official.
The move comes months after Trump publicly criticized the agency’s preliminary findings on the U.S. airstrikes in Iran (AP).
Lt. Gen. Kruse will no longer lead the Defense Intelligence Agency, the sources said Friday, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Hegseth also dismissed Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore, chief of the Navy Reserve, and Rear Adm. Milton Sands, a Navy SEAL officer overseeing Naval Special Warfare Command, according to another U.S. official.
No official reasons were provided for these firings, which add to a series of actions targeting military leaders, intelligence officials, and other critics of Trump, who has repeatedly demanded loyalty from government personnel. This week, the administration also revoked security clearances for additional current and former national security officials.
Taken together, these moves may suppress dissent and discourage conclusions that conflict with the president’s interests.
Kruse’s dismissal follows the leak of a preliminary assessment of U.S. airstrikes against Iran. The report suggested that Iran’s nuclear program was only set back by a few months, contradicting statements from Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump, who had declared the Iranian program “completely and fully obliterated,” rejected the report. His criticism of the DIA’s analysis reflects his long-standing skepticism of intelligence assessments, including a 2017 report confirming Russian interference in the 2016 election.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which coordinates the work of 18 intelligence agencies including the DIA, has been declassifying documents intended to cast doubt on previous intelligence findings.
After the June strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites, Hegseth criticized media coverage of the preliminary assessment but offered no direct evidence of the facilities’ destruction.
“You want to call it destroyed, you want to call it defeated, you want to call it obliterated — choose your word. This was a historically successful attack,” Hegseth said at a news conference.
Democrats express concern over the implications
While the Pentagon has not explained the firings, congressional Democrats raised concerns about the precedent set by Kruse’s removal.
“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 of Virginia, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, demanded an explanation for Kruse’s firing, warning that otherwise, “we can only assume that this is another politically motivated decision intended to create an atmosphere of fear” in the intelligence community.
Trump has a history of removing officials whose data or analysis conflicts with his views. Earlier this month, he dismissed the official in charge of jobs data following a disappointing report. His administration has also halted posting climate reports, canceled vaccine access studies, and removed data on gender identity from government websites.
Broader changes in military and intelligence leadership
The latest firings are part of a broader wave of Trump administration changes in the intelligence and military sectors.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence announced staff and budget cuts this week, along with additional security clearance revocations. The Pentagon also reported that Air Force Gen. David Allvin plans to retire two years early.
Hegseth and Trump have removed top military officials frequently and often without explanation. This includes Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr., the Navy’s top officer, the Air Force’s second-highest officer, and the top lawyers for three service branches.
In April, Hegseth fired Gen. Tim Haugh, head of the National Security Agency, and Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, a senior NATO official.
No public explanations have been provided, although some of the dismissed officers were believed to support diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, which Trump has sought to eliminate from government agencies.
The dismissals of Kruse, Lacore, and Sands were first reported by The Washington Post.
