Pete Hegseth Plans Pentagon Leadership Shakeup

The News

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is preparing to dismiss at least six senior generals and admirals, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown and Navy Chief Adm. Lisa Franchetti, in a sweeping purge of military leadership perceived as hostile to President Donald Trump’s agenda.

The move, part of a broader effort to eliminate “woke” policies and redirect billions in Pentagon funds to Trump priorities like border security, follows Hegseth’s directive to cut $50 billion annually from the defense budget.

Timeline

January 24, 2025: Hegseth Confirmed

• Hegseth is confirmed as defense secretary after a contentious Senate vote. He vows to “revive the warrior ethos” and dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.

February 10, 2025: DEI Purge Plan

• The Pentagon begins compiling lists of civilian staff and military leaders for potential termination, prioritizing probationary employees and DEI-linked roles.

February 20, 2025: The Purge List

• NBC reports Hegseth shared a list of generals and admirals with GOP lawmakers, targeting those tied to DEI initiatives or critical of Trump.

• The list includes several high-level female officers, among them Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the chief of naval operations, Lt. Gen. Jennifer Short, who’s served as a senior military assistant to the secretary of defense, and Lt. Gen. Laura Potter, director of the Army Staff. The Army’s chief of staff, Gen. Randy George, is also on that list, as is Gen. Ron Clark, who leads US Army Pacific, and Lt. Gen. Anthony Hale.

Reactions

Pete Hegseth in a November interview on the Shawn Ryan Show: "First of all, you've got to fire the chairman of the Joint Chiefs. But any general that was involved – general, admiral, whatever – that was involved in any of the DEI woke s*** has got to go. Either you're in for warfighting, and that's it. That's the only litmus test we care about."

What's Next

Hegseth will soon announce the dismissals of Gen. Brown and Adm. Franchetti.

A handful of employees from DOGE began meeting with Pentagon officials last week and are in the process of getting set up with office space inside the building.