In a surprising move, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has removed Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse from his role as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). The Pentagon confirmed the shake-up but did not provide an immediate explanation. Reports suggest that two other senior military commanders were also dismissed.
This decision comes only weeks after tensions between the White House and the DIA over a leaked intelligence review regarding U.S. strikes on Iran. The DIA had concluded that the attacks delayed Iran’s nuclear program only by a matter of months. President Donald Trump, however, rejected that assessment, insisting the strikes had “completely destroyed” Iranian nuclear sites. The White House even labeled the DIA report “flat out wrong.”
At the NATO summit earlier this summer, Hegseth criticized the intelligence findings as being based on “low-quality information” and revealed that the FBI was investigating the leak.
Kruse’s dismissal, first reported by The Washington Post, follows a broader trend of Trump removing officials whose analyses have contradicted his own positions. Over the past year, he has replaced several high-ranking intelligence and military leaders, including the NSA director, the head of the Labor Statistics Bureau, and multiple Pentagon generals.
The Defense Intelligence Agency plays a critical role in military intelligence, distinct from the CIA, and supports U.S. operations worldwide. With Kruse’s departure, questions are being raised about whether these firings are part of a loyalty purge rather than standard reshuffling.
Senator Mark Warner has already voiced concern, warning that treating intelligence as a “loyalty test” undermines national security.
This reshuffle marks yet another chapter in the ongoing friction between Trump, his defense officials, and America’s intelligence community.
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