Hegseth Fires Head Of Defense Intelligence Agency

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, nan caput of nan Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency, connected Friday, according to White House and Pentagon officials, making him different successful a raft of elder officers who person been removed nether Hegseth’s watch.

The firing follows a arguable first appraisal by nan agency successful June indicating strikes against Iran’s atomic accommodation had constricted effect, seemingly contradicting President Donald Trump’s declare astatine nan clip that they had been “obliterated.”

Pentagon and White House officials issued little statements which did not supply immoderate rationale for nan firing, but said Kruse “will nary longer service arsenic DIA Director.” The DIA did not instantly respond to a petition for comment. Kruse’s firing was first reported by nan Washington Post.

Administration officials gave nary different logic for nan firing of Kruse, who had been successful nan occupation since February 2024 and would usually beryllium expected to service until 2027. Congressional officials besides confirmed nan firing and said they were told it was for a “lack of confidence,” a bland look nan subject often uses to screen immoderate number of reasons personification was removed.

Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, head of nan Defense Intelligence Agency, speaks during nan unfastened information of a proceeding of nan Senate Armed Services Committee connected Capitol Hill successful 2024.Mark Schiefelbein / AP file

Kruse joins a increasing database of elder generals and admirals fired nether Hegseth, including nan erstwhile president of nan Joint Chiefs of Staff, nan wide who headed nan National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, nan Navy’s apical admiral and nan caput of nan U.S. Coast Guard. Earlier this week, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin announced unexpectedly that he would beryllium retiring successful November, astir 2 years earlier than nan accustomed 4 years for a work chief.

Immediately pursuing nan strikes against Iran’s atomic accommodation successful June, nan DIA completed an initial, classified appraisal of nan harm from nan operation. That appraisal was marked arsenic “low confidence” because it came only astir 24 hours aft those strikes. But it indicated Iran’s atomic programme had been group backmost respective months, according to 3 individuals pinch knowledge of nan report, NBC News reported astatine nan time. That was astatine likelihood pinch Trump, who remarked instantly aft nan strikes that nan atomic sites had been “totally obliterated.”

The disclosure of nan DIA appraisal led to a crisp pushback from Trump’s White House, pinch officials complaining that nan study had been leaked. Days later, Hegseth said to nan media.

“It was preliminary, a time and a half aft nan existent strike, erstwhile it admits itself successful penning that it requires weeks to accumulate nan basal information to make specified an assessment,” Hegseth told reporters successful nan Pentagon. “It points retired that it’s not been coordinated pinch nan intelligence organization astatine all, there’s debased assurance successful this peculiar report.”