The other regime change: 13 military officials removed or retired under Trump
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Secretary Pete Hegseth (L) shakes hands with Gen. Randy George on Sept. 19, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Officials embodying decades of experience have exited — or been booted from — the U.S. military under the second Trump administration as the nation's defense apparatus undergoes a massive MAGA makeover.
The big picture: Expertise matters, especially with the U.S. presently locked in a fiery conflict in the Middle East, one where the president has threatened to push the bounds of the generally accepted principles of warfare.
The latest: Military leaders were blindsided by the recent ousters of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and Army Gen. David Hodne, generating concern about the implications for the war in Iran, Axios' Colin Demarest reports.
- The pair joined a list of military officers who have been booted or abruptly departed since Trump resumed office.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's stated aim to "streamline" military leadership has at times looked a lot like shaving it away.
Read on for more about prominent officials who have been ousted or who have departed the military under the Trump administration.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George
George, the Army's most senior general, was asked by Hegseth to retire, a Defense official confirmed to Axios, well before his four-year term was set to expire.
- He deployed in operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom before going on to hold key joint and strategic leadership roles, per his Army bio.
- Former President Biden nominated him for the role in 2023, and he received significant bipartisan support in the Senate.
Two U.S. officials told Demarest that George's dismissal was motivated by clashing personalities.
Gen. David Hodne and Maj. Gen. William Green Jr.
A Defense official confirmed to Axios Thursday evening that the pair had also been removed from their positions.
- Hodne served as the commanding general of the Army's Transformation and Training Command. According to his military bio, he "commanded at every echelon from Company through Division."
- Green, an ordained minister who joined the military after high school, headed the Army's Chaplain Corps.
Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey
Holsey, who led U.S. Southern Command, stepped down from his post as his command oversaw strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific against alleged drug-carrying vessels.
Air Force Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse
Kruse served as the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency before his ouster, which Axios reported in August.
- The agency's initial intelligence assessment on last year's strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities became a political pain point after it was leaked.
Navy Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield
Chatfield was removed from her post "due to a loss of confidence in her ability to lead," the Pentagon confirmed to Axios last April.
- The former U.S. military representative to the NATO Military Committee joined other women who had been ousted from top military positions.
Joint Chiefs Chairman CQ Brown Jr.
Trump announced he'd replace Brown in February 2025, pushing out the four-star fighter pilot and only the second Black chairman.
- Hegseth had previously advocated for Brown to be fired, saying anyone involved in "DEI" had to leave.
Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife
Hegseth announced Franchetti and Slife's exits in conjunction with Brown's ouster last February.
- Franchetti was the first woman to serve as the chief of naval operations and to become a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
- Slife served as vice chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force.
Gen. Timothy Haugh
Haugh was the National Security Agency director and U.S. Cyber Command chief before he was removed, along with his civilian deputy.
- Far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer celebrated their ousters, claiming they were "disloyal" to Trump.
- Several members of Trump's National Security Council were fired after Loomer visited and pressed him to sack specific NSC staffers.
Navy Adm. Linda Fagan
Fagan, the former commandant of the Coast Guard and a four-star admiral, was the first woman to lead a branch of the U.S. armed forces.
- Swiftly after Trump took office, the administration relieved her of her command, citing "leadership deficiencies, operational failures and inability to advance the strategic objectives."
Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore and Rear Adm. Jamie Sands
Lacore, who was chief of the Navy Reserve, and Sands, the Naval Special Warfare Command boss, were also ousted from their positions last year, according to multiple reports.
- Lacore is now running for Congress in South Carolina.
Go deeper: Hegseth to generals: Embrace MAGA military or quit
