The Military Officials Fired or Resigned Under Hegseth

At least 20 generals, admirals and civilian defense leaders have been fired or have left their jobs since Pete Hegseth took over as U.S. defense secretary at the beginning of Donald Trump’s second administration.

Among them are some of the military’s most decorated and senior officers. The departures include the highest-ranking leaders of the Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as commanders of key units. The Army and Navy’s top civilian officials have also been forced out or resigned.

Before becoming secretary, Hegseth criticized military officers whom he said focused too heavily on diversity initiatives and did not sufficiently support frontline service members. Before his nomination, he said on a podcast that “any general that was involved, general, admiral, whatever, that was involved in any of the DEI woke s*** has got to go.”

The Trump administration has pushed out senior female and Black officers, while Black and female officers have been disproportionately removed from promotion lists, according to a source familiar with those lists cited by CBS News. The military currently has no active four-star female generals or admirals. Other officers left after failing to secure promotions.

“

Any general that was involved, general, admiral, whatever, that was involved in any of the DEI woke s*** has got to go.

Hegseth also removed officials over suspected leaks to the media. In another case, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned after clashing with senior officials. A source familiar with Driscoll’s resignation said he had raised concerns that many generals leading efforts to prepare the Army for future warfare had been pushed out.

Trump abruptly fired Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in a February 2025 social media post thanking him for his service. Brown, a former fighter pilot with more than 3,100 flight hours, was only the second Black general to hold the post. Hegseth later told Fox News that Brown was “an honorable man, not the right man for the moment.” Trump replaced him with Air Force Gen. Dan Caine.

Hegseth also relieved Adm. Lisa Franchetti as chief of naval operations without explanation on the same day Brown was fired. Franchetti had been the first woman to serve on the Joint Chiefs and only the second woman promoted to four-star admiral. She previously led the 6th Fleet and U.S. Naval Forces Korea, and commanded a destroyer and an aircraft carrier strike group.

“

An honorable man, not the right man for the moment.