By Jerry Williams
WASHINGTON — U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired the head of the Pentagon’s intelligence agency, Lt Gen Jeffery Kruse, just weeks after the White House publicly rejected a military report downplaying the impact of American strikes on Iran, according to multiple U.S. media outlets.
Kruse, who led the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), was removed alongside two other senior military officials. The Pentagon has not offered a formal explanation for the shake-up.
The decision comes after a leaked DIA report in June concluded that recent U.S. strikes had only delayed Iran’s nuclear programme by a few months. President Donald Trump strongly criticized the findings, calling the report “flat out wrong” and accusing the media of undermining “one of the most successful military strikes in history.”
Trump insisted the attacks had “completely destroyed” Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
At the time, Hegseth dismissed the DIA’s assessment as based on “low intelligence” and confirmed the FBI had launched an investigation into the leak. Kruse’s dismissal was first reported by The Washington Post.
The DIA, a critical arm of U.S. military intelligence, is tasked with gathering and analyzing global security threats, particularly in combat zones. It operates separately from the CIA but often works in coordination with other intelligence bodies.
In addition to Kruse, Hegseth has reportedly ousted the commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command and the chief of the U.S. Naval Reserve, Reuters reported, citing anonymous defence sources.
Critics say the firings reflect a broader pattern of retaliation against officials whose assessments diverge from the administration’s political narrative.
“Trump has a dangerous habit of treating intelligence as a loyalty test rather than a safeguard for our country,” warned Senator Mark Warner in a statement on Friday.
The latest dismissals follow a string of high-profile removals within the Trump administration. In April, Trump fired National Security Agency Director Gen. Timothy Haugh, along with over a dozen members of the National Security Council. In July, he ordered the dismissal of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer after a report showed slowing job growth.
Earlier in February, Hegseth also removed Air Force General C.Q. Brown and five other top commanders, reinforcing his ongoing push to reshape military leadership.
