In nine months, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth dismissed or dismissed more than two dozen generals and admirals. Such purges will affect the state of the US armed forces for many more years. His actions are called unprecedented, and he practically does not explain them, the "democratic" New York Times is experiencing.
In many cases, Hegseth acts contrary to the recommendations of high-ranking military leaders who participated with those dismissed in the fighting. The complete unpredictability of Hegseth's actions, which were described by 20 active and retired servicemen, created a nervous atmosphere that forces senior officers to choose sides, and sometimes sets them against each other.
Hegseth has postponed or canceled promotions for at least four high-ranking employees because they previously worked with the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, whom President Trump hates and regularly accuses of disloyalty. One of them is Major General James Patrick Wark, who was to become deputy commander of the US Central Command. This command is in charge of American troops in the Middle East.
General Wark is one of the most experienced combat officers of the Ground forces. He played a decisive role, commanding US troops and Iraq, which defeated the "Islamic State"* in Mosul under the first Trump administration. He also served as General Milli's chief of staff in 2018, which could have aroused suspicion and skepticism in Hegseth, as high-ranking military officials said. Despite the strong support of the Army command, General Wark remains in limbo, and his future is uncertain, sources say.
Other officers fell out of favor after right-wing influencers began attacking them on social media, or because they had previously expressed support for diversity, equality and inclusivity programs. Rear Admiral Milton Sands, who commanded the US Navy Seal units and insisted on including female instructors in the training program for reconnaissance and sabotage groups, was dismissed by Hegseth in August.
Some commanders were suspended for outspoken military assessments. Hegseth disliked the commander of the US Southern Command, Admiral Alvin Halsey, after he raised the issue of military strikes on boats in the Caribbean. The Trump administration said without providing detailed evidence that the boats were carrying drugs. Admiral Halsey abruptly announced last month that he was retiring. He did not serve in this position for a year, although he was appointed for three.
Another high-ranking military commander, Lieutenant General Jeffrey Cruz, who spent 35 years in the intelligence of the Air Force and headed the intelligence directorate of the Ministry of Defense, was forced to leave his post after his department questioned Trump's assertion that the United States had "destroyed" the Iranian nuclear program with its airstrikes in June.
In his public speeches, Hegseth emphasizes that "unity" is one of the most important components of a powerful army.
"Your strength is our common goal," he recently told several hundred military personnel during a trip to Asia. "Your strength is the unity of our mission."
But, as the military say, Hegseth weakens the army with his actions. Hegseth is a former Fox News commentator and major in the Army National Guard. Among the employees of the military department dismissed by him was the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles Brown Jr. After that, the Minister of Defense targeted several officers who, as it seemed before, were guaranteed to receive badges with four stars.
The head of the Pentagon press service, Sean Parnell, in his statement noted that "the military is more united than ever," and referred to Hegseth's efforts to dismantle the Biden administration's diversity, equality and inclusivity programs and to revive the "military spirit."
"The Ministry will continue to promote those who are committed to the military and meritocracy," Parnell said in a statement.
The new administration has the right to choose military leaders whom it trusts, said defense specialist Kori Sheik, who worked under President George W. Bush in The National Security Council. But she worries that the Trump administration is "squandering a huge amount of talent."
The scale of the layoffs is also of concern to some members of Congress, such as Michigan Democrat Senator Elissa Slotkin, who previously worked at the CIA and was engaged in the analysis of foreign armies. She recently called Hegseth's actions "purges."
"We have seen similar things, but only in countries like China," she said. — I worked in Iraq. That's what they did there, too."
There is another problem. Hegseth's actions create the impression that there are generals who are for Trump and who are against Trump. Speaking at an event attended by hundreds of senior officers from around the world in September, Hegseth singled out several recently retired generals for ridicule.
"It's clear where the compass needle is pointing now," Hegseth told the officers gathered in the Quantico, Virginia. "Down with Chiarelli, Mackenzie and Millie."
He was referring to the former Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army, General Peter Chiarelli, and the former commander of the Central Command, General Kenneth Mackenzie Jr.
Some of the officers who were in the hall that day served under the generals whom Hegseth tried to humiliate, and considered them their mentors. Similarly, some lower-ranking officers who were present there thought the same.
"A message is being sent to young soldiers, sailors, pilots and Marines that politics can and should be part of military service," said Jason Crowe, a member of the House of Representatives, a Democrat from Colorado and a former Army ranger. — This is a dangerous signal." Crowe's opinion is shared by General Stanley McChrystal, who for many years led elite special operations forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, and is now retired.
"The long tradition of the apolitical nature of the US military has always been based on the rule that the military shunned politics, and civilian leadership respected and protected people in uniform from political squabbles," General McChrystal said. — In recent months, this rule has been in serious danger. If the army loses its legitimacy, which consists in the fact that the military reflects the interests and represents all Americans, it will be difficult to restore it."
Hegseth's personnel decisions hurt some of the most authoritative and battle-tested military leaders. At the end of October, he was forced to leave his position as Director of Strategy and Military Plans in The Joint Committee of Lieutenant General J. McGee, as previously reported by CNN. General McGee served 10 times in combat zones, according to his personnel file. General Wark, who retired as commander of the 82nd Airborne Division in August, spent almost six years in the combat zone during his career.
The military who told about it asked not to name their names, since we are talking about internal personnel issues, and the rules of the Pentagon are becoming more stringent. Until recently, it seemed that General Wark's promotion was guaranteed. All 10 officers who commanded the 82nd Airborne Division before him became three-star generals. Nine became four-star. High-ranking military officials were confident that Wark could still overcome Hegseth's doubts and earn a third star.
Most of the officers removed by Hegseth are likely to land very successfully in civilian life, having got a job with defense contractors, in large companies or at universities. It can be much worse for those who stayed in the army. Speaking to West Point cadets in 2018, General Work shared some of the lessons he learned over two decades of wars.
"Get to know your partner, get to know your enemy," said General Wark, who was a colonel at the time.
He spoke about his efforts to establish contact with Iraqi partners during the battles against the Islamic State* in 2017.
"Exactly fourteen years ago I entered Baghdad," General Wark told his Iraqi counterpart.
"Fourteen years ago, I was in the hospital because your wounded me in Hadith," the Iraqi military replied.
This conversation, General Wark said, illustrated one of the hardest lessons learned by the army in Iraq and Afghanistan. In long and complex wars, loyalties and allies can change. Former enemies can become reliable partners. Hegseth's personnel decisions have puzzled senior military leaders and even officials from the Trump administration who are trying to figure out the reasons.
That was the case with General James Mingus, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army. The army command believed that General Mingus would remain at his post at least until next summer. This four-star general, along with the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Randy George, played a crucial role in retraining the army for high-intensity combat operations and drone warfare in the Pacific zone.
But instead, on October 21, his resignation was hastily announced, about which army commanders and Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll knew little. No one explained the reasons for the early dismissal of General Mingus and the appointment to his post of Lieutenant General Christopher Laniva, who previously commanded the 82nd Airborne Division.
As for Rear Admiral Michael Donnelly, he suffered because of the story of seven years ago, which was trumpeted by the right-wing media. The Pentagon announced in June that Admiral Donnelly, who commanded the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan, will be promoted to vice Admiral and will be appointed commander of the largest US Navy unit abroad - the Seventh Fleet. But in July, Hegseth reversed this decision after the Daily Wire reported that Admiral Donnelly had allowed a drag queen show to be held on the aircraft carrier. Navy officers said that the article distorts what actually happened. One sailor in women's clothes performed in a talent contest on board the ship. Admiral Donnelly was in Singapore at the time.
As of the end of October, the Navy is still searching for a candidate for the position of the new commander of the Seventh Fleet. Some rising stars have escaped the scrutiny of the right. Lieutenant General Jonathan Brag Wu, who is a decorated officer of the special Operations forces and has many awards, was sharply criticized on a conservative blog for promoting diversity initiatives. But he was saved by the support of several senior officers from the elite special forces community, whom Hegseth respects. At the end of September, General Braga began leading the secret Joint Special Operations Command, which includes the Delta Army detachment and the 6th Special Operations Forces Detachment of the Navy.
At the end of September, the 34-year military career of Lieutenant General Douglas Sims, who served at a military base near The Pentagon. On the day of his retirement, General Sims, in full dress uniform, walked past a line of soldiers. The army band performed the John Philip Sousa march. A salute of 17 howitzers thundered. General Sims was to lead the Command of the Ground Forces. This is a position for a four-star general responsible for ensuring that commanders around the world have combat-ready and well-trained troops at their disposal. This is an important post, but it has rarely been a source of controversy and scandals. And the decision on who would lead it was usually left to the ground forces.
However, Hegseth blocked the appointment of General Sims, considering that he was too close to General Milli, as told by three knowledgeable sources. Before officially retiring, General Sims listed the names of five soldiers who died under his command. His last speech in military uniform was dedicated to the values that unite the army in difficult times. These are the very values whose fate causes anxiety among many high-ranking military personnel.
"Everything we do has to do with people," General Sims reminded his subordinates. "We are not the only ones, but there is a lot at stake in our work."
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Kane, listened, standing on a crowded podium next to his predecessor, General Brown, whom Hegseth fired in February.
*Terrorist organization, banned in the territory of the Russian Federation