Who’s next? Pentagon leaders removed
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (left) is causing consternation at the Pentagon as he fires or retires leaders at odds with White House policy amidst a series of increasingly aggressive military campaigns
Apr 2026
John Phelan U.S. Navy Secretary
Struggled to meet $65bn shipbuilding request – for 18 Trump-Class warships and 16 support ships – by 2028
Gen. Randy George
Army Chief of Staff
Gen. David Hodne
Army TTC*
*Transformation and Training Command
Maj. Gen. William Green Jr
Chief of Army Chaplains
Dec 2025
Adm. Alvin Holsey
Southern Command
Oct 2025
Jon Harrison
Chief of Staff to Navy Secretary
Sep 2025
Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims
Joint Staff
Aug 2025
Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse
Director of Defense Intelligence Agency
Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore
Chief of Navy Reserve
Rear Adm. Milton Sands III
Naval Special Warfare Command
Adm. Yvette Davids
Superintendent Naval Academy
Apr 2025
Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield
U.S. representative to NATO Military Committee
Gen. Timothy D. Haugh
Director NSA, U.S. Cyber Command
Feb 2025
Fired by Trump: Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown Jr.
Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff
Gen. Jim Slife
Air Force Vice Chief of Staff
Adm. Lisa Franchetti 
Chief of Naval Operations
Lt. Gen. Jennifer Short
Senior military adviser
Lt. Gen. Charles Plummer
Air Force Judge Advocate General
Lt. Gen. Joseph Berger III
Army Judge Advocate General
Dan Driscoll
Army Secretary
Touted as potential successor to Hegseth, they have clashed but he remains in post – for now
Sources: Axios, Reuters
Pictures: Getty Images, Wikimedia Commons
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