Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, was fired from his post this week, making him the latest casualty of President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s reimagined version of the U.S. armed forces.

In less than a year, the duo has forced out several senior military officers, some of whom Trump had promoted during his first term, who don’t meet the criteria they are seeking from the service chiefs.

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Kruse’s firing, which was first reported on Friday, came days after Gen. David Allvin, the chief of staff of the Air Force, announced his intent to retire on Nov. 1, 2025, about two years into a four-year term. Allvin said he would remain in the position until the Senate can confirm his successor.

Kruse’s agency, the DIA, was responsible for an initial assessment of the effectiveness of the U.S. military strikes targeting three of Iran’s nuclear facilities that downplayed the president and secretary’s claims of “total obliteration.”

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve as the 23rd Air Force Chief of Staff and I’m thankful for Secretary [Troy] Meink, Secretary Hegseth, and President Trump’s faith in me to lead our service,” he said in a statement. “More than anything, I’m proud to have been part of the team of Airmen who live out our core values of integrity, service and excellence every day as we prepare to defend this great nation.”

Hegseth reportedly informed Allvin last week that he was being asked to retire and, in return, would be allowed to announce the decision, according to the Washington Post.

That courtesy was not afforded to Kruse, Adm. Lisa Franchetti, then the chief of naval operations; Gen. Charles Q. Brown, then the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Allvin’s former No. 2, Gen. James Slife, the former vice chief of staff of the Air Force; and Adm. Linda Fagan, then the Coast Guard commandant.

Fagan was fired from her role within days of the Trump administration coming to power.

A senior official with the Department of Homeland Security told the Washington Examiner that Fagan was fired for her “failure” to deploy resources effectively to support border security, “inadequate” leadership resulting in recruitment and retention shortfalls, “mismanagement of key acquisitions,” and the “excessive focus” on diversity and inclusion.

Trump announced in a Truth Social post on Feb. 21 that he fired Brown, Franchetti, and Slife without providing an explanation.

“Because each service chief was seen within their service as qualified and performing the duties, each has been viewed as an abrupt departure and out of cycle. Actions like these send a signal to those aspiring to future senior leadership positions,” Gene Moran, a national security expert and Navy veteran, told the Washington Examiner.

The president also removed Gen. Timothy Haugh, then-the director of the National Security Agency, in April.

“It’s a known fact that positions at this level serve at the pleasure of the president. However, history suggests that a senior officer would need to be pretty far out of step with the president and the administration to warrant such a manner of dismissal,” he added. “I’ve been associated with the military for over 40 years and do not recall a period with this much widespread disruption.”

Hegseth, prior to his nomination as defense secretary, was critical of Brown and Franchetti. He questioned their qualifications and whether their appointments were more about their race and sex than their ability to lead.

The secretary and president have long denounced diversity and inclusion efforts and have been critical of the military’s implementation of such programs and training. One of Hegseth’s biggest priorities since his confirmation has been to undo those policies.

The service chiefs take their orders from civilian leaders, and they are obligated, short of breaking the law, to carry out those orders. They also serve at the pleasure of the president and the defense secretary.

“The president and secretary of defense have the right to fire any three- or four-star [officer]. They are all in temporary billets. That is their prerogative,” retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery told the Washington Examiner. “Historically, it’s been used for poor performance, not [carrying out orders] my predecessor asked you to do, but I don’t support.”

“It has not been used as a tool to try to reshape the force in some kind of vision,” added Montgomery, now a senior director at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

Only some of their replacements have been confirmed.

Trump has nominated Gen. Thomas Bussiere to serve as the vice chief of staff, though he now could be in the running for the top spot. Bussiere, in his current role as the head of Air Force Global Strike Command, oversaw parts of Operation Midnight Hammer, the U.S. military’s surprise bombing of Iran’s nuclear program in June.

Gen. Dan Caine was confirmed as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in April.

He had long been in Trump’s good graces after the two met in Iraq in 2018 during his first term in office. Caine told Trump at the time that he believed the coalition of forces fighting against the Islamic State would be able to defeat the terrorist group much faster than many others believed, and he turned out to be right.

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Trump has claimed in retelling the story of their first interaction that Caine also put on a “Make America Great Again” hat, indicating his support for the president, though Caine denied this part of the story during his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Two of the service chiefs that predate the current administration are Gen. Randy George, the chief of staff of the Army, and Gen. Eric Smith, the commandant of the Marine Corps. Both “fit Pete Hegseth’s unusual interpretation of what makes a good four-star” in part because “they can both do a lot of pushups,” Montgomery added.

In May, Hegseth signed a memo directing a reduction of at least 20% of the four-star positions across the Active Component, a 20% reduction of general officers in the National Guard, as well as an additional minimum of 10% cuts in general and flag officers.