US general whose report on Iran nuclear sites angered Trump fired

Head of US Defense Intelligence Agency Jeffrey Kruse fired alongside 2 elder Navy officials successful latest purge.

United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired a wide whose agency’s preliminary quality appraisal angered President Donald Trump for reporting that the US onslaught connected Iranian atomic sites successful June had inflicted constricted damage, according to reports.

The Pentagon firings connected Friday, which, according to US officials who spoke to the Reuters and Associated Press (AP) quality agencies, besides see 2 different elder subject commanders, are the latest moves by the Trump medication to purge officials astatine the Department of Defense .

It was not instantly known connected what grounds Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse, who led the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) since aboriginal 2024, was fired.

But President Trump had antecedently decried the agency’s archetypal findings connected US strikes against Iran.

The archetypal DIA appraisal – which was wide reported connected by US media – contradicted claims by Trump that the strikes wholly destroyed the atomic sites, drafting the ire of some the president and officials wrong his administration.

Kruse “will nary longer service arsenic DIA director”, a elder defence authoritative said connected information of anonymity connected Friday, without providing an mentation for the general’s departure.

Prior to becoming manager of the DIA, Kruse served arsenic the advisor for subject affairs for the manager of nationalist intelligence, and besides held positions including manager of quality for the conjugation against the ISIL (ISIS) group.

Hegseth besides fired Vice Admiral Nancy Lacore, who is main of the Navy Reserve, arsenic good arsenic Rear Admiral Milton Sands, a Navy SEAL serviceman who oversees Naval Special Warfare Command, according to officials who spoke to some AP and Reuters.

All 3 subject officials said they did not cognize wherefore they were fired by the Trump administration, which has demanded loyalty crossed the government.

“The firing of yet different elder nationalist information authoritative underscores the Trump administration’s unsafe wont of treating quality arsenic a loyalty trial alternatively than a safeguard for our country,” said US Senator Mark Warner, who is the vice seat of the Senate Select Committee connected Intelligence.

Since opening his 2nd word successful January, Trump has overseen a purge of apical subject officers, including the president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles “CQ” Brown, whom helium fired without mentation successful February.

Other elder officers dismissed this twelvemonth see the heads of the US Navy and Coast Guard, the wide who headed the National Security Agency, the vice main of unit of the US Air Force, a Navy admiral assigned to NATO, and 3 apical subject lawyers.

The main of the US Air Force besides made a astonishment announcement connected Monday that helium planned to discontinue lone halfway done his tenure.

Hegseth has insisted the president is simply choosing the leaders helium wants successful apical positions, but Democratic lawmakers person raised concerns astir the imaginable politicisation of the traditionally neutral US military.

Earlier this year, Hegseth additionally ordered astatine slightest a 20 percent simplification successful the fig of active-duty four-star generals and admirals successful the US military, arsenic good arsenic a 10 percent chopped successful the wide fig of wide and emblem officers.

News of Kruse’s firing came 2 days aft Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced that she was revoking – connected Trump’s orders – the information clearances of 37 existent and erstwhile US quality professionals.

Gabbard has besides announced the archetypal large overhaul of her bureau since its creation, slashing unit by much than 40 percent by October 1 and redeeming much than $700m per year.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies