Politics

Over 20 senior military and civilian defense leaders removed or resigned under Pete Hegseth

The high-level departures span service chiefs, combatant commanders, and civilian secretaries amid policy disputes and leadership overhauls.

Updated Sep 2, 2026 · 02:18 UTC1 reports

The short version

At least 20 generals, admirals, and top civilian defense officials have been fired, forced out, or resigned during Pete Hegseth's tenure as defense secretary.
Ousted leaders include Joint Chiefs Chairman General Charles Q. Brown, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti, and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll.
The leadership shake-ups have resulted in the military currently having no active four-star women generals or admirals.
Departures have been driven by conflicts over diversity initiatives, suspected media leaks, military legal roles, and strategic modernization plans.

At least 20 senior military officers and civilian Pentagon leaders have departed their posts under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during the second Trump administration.[CBS News]
President Trump fired Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Charles Q. Brown in February 2025, replacing him with Air Force General Dan Caine.[CBS News]
Following the removal of Admiral Lisa Franchetti and other departures, there are currently no active four-star female generals or admirals in the U.S. military.[CBS News]
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned on August 31 after tensions with Hegseth, specifically expressing concern over the removal of generals leading Army modernization and drone initiatives.[CBS News]
Hegseth replaced the top uniform lawyers of the Army and Air Force, arguing that Judge Advocate General leadership acted as roadblocks and needed to refocus purely on warfighting.[CBS News]

Specific official rationales were withheld for several terminations and forced retirements, including those of Admiral Lisa Franchetti, General David Allvin, and Vice Admiral Nancy Lacore.[CBS News]