Firing Top Generals Makes the US Less Secure
The Trump administration’s dismissal of two joint chiefs and bogus claims of wokeness and DEI will have a chilling effect on the military.
General Brown and Secretary Hegseth didn’t stay together for long.
Photographer: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
With the dramatic firing of two members of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff — the chairman, Air Force General C.Q. Brown, and the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Lisa Franchetti — President Donald Trump’s administration has shocked the armed forces. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also dismissed the Air Force’s vice chief of staff, General James Slife, and three judge advocate generals (JAGS) — the top uniformed lawyers for the Army, Navy and Air Force. Trump indicated more firings of top military officials are in the offing.
How should we think about this rare purge at the very top of the uniformed military? Is it unprecedented? What are the likely consequences on the Department of Defense’s mission?