In a series of ousters over the past nine months that could reshape the US military for years to come, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired or sidelined at least two dozen generals and admirals, The New York Times reported.

While being without precedent in recent decades and coming with little explanation, his actions have frequently run counter to the advice of top military leaders who fought alongside the officers in combat, the NYT stated, citing senior military officials.

The utter unpredictability of Hegseth’s moves, as described in interviews with 20 current and former military officials, has created an atmosphere of anxiety and mistrust that has forced senior officers to take sides while, at times, pitting them against one another.

Hesgeth cancels promotions left and right over disloyalty to Trump

Hegseth has delayed or canceled the promotions of at least four senior military officers because they previously worked for Gen. Mark A. Milley, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff whom President Trump loathes and has repeatedly accused of disloyalty. One of these officers is Maj. Gen. James Patrick Work, who officials said was expected to be the deputy commander at US Central Command, which oversees troops in the Middle East.

Another is General Work, one of the Army’s most combat-experienced officers, who led US troops in the alleged war against the Islamic State in Iraq's Mosul during the first Trump administration and also served as General Milley’s executive officer in 2018. This latter connection, according to senior Army officials, might have led Hegseth to view him with skepticism.

The General has the backing of top Army leaders; however, his future remains uncertain, senior military officials told The New York Times.

Different reasons for purge

Other officers fell out of favor after being targeted on social media by right-wing influencers or for having voiced support years earlier for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, such as Rear Adm. Milton Sands, the commander of the Navy SEALs, who pushed to have female instructors in SEAL training and was subsequently fired by Hegseth in August.

Some leaders were ousted for offering candid military assessments, such as when Hegseth soured on Adm. Alvin Holsey, the head of US Southern Command, after he raised questions about deadly military strikes in the Caribbean.

The Trump administration claimed, without detailed evidence, that it was targeting drug traffickers on boats in the Caribbean Sea, leading the Admiral to abruptly announce his resignation last month, less than one year into a typical three-year assignment.

Another senior officer, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey A. Kruse, a 35-year Air Force intelligence officer who led the Defense Intelligence Agency, was forced from his position after his agency cast doubt on Trump’s assertion that US airstrikes in June had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program.

Hegseth stresses unity in public, then undermines it

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Despite Hegseth's public emphasis on "unity" as a critical component of a lethal military, telling troops on a recent trip to Asia that their strength lies in their shared purpose and the unity of their mission, his actions have, according to military officials, worked to undermine that very asset.

Hegseth, a former Fox News commentator and Army National Guard major, began his tenure by dismissing several high-ranking military officials, including Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Since then, the war secretary has continued to remove officers who had been expected to rise to four-star positions.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell claimed in a statement that the military “has never been more unified,” crediting Hegseth’s efforts to roll back the Biden administration’s diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and to revive the military’s “warrior ethos”. The statement added that the department would keep promoting those “committed to warfighting and meritocracy.”

A new administration is entitled to appoint military leaders it trusts, said Kori Schake, a defense expert who served on the National Security Council under President George W. Bush. Still, she warned that the Trump administration risked “squandering an enormous amount of talent.”

The sweeping dismissals have also raised concerns in Congress. Senator Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat and former CIA analyst specializing in foreign militaries, described Hegseth’s actions as a “purge". “The places where we’ve seen this kind of thing are countries like China,” she said. “I used to work on Iraq, they did the same thing.”

US War Secretary divides army into pro-Trump, anti-Trump camps

Another source of concern, officials said, is that Hegseth’s actions have reinforced the perception that the military is divided between pro-Trump and anti-Trump factions.

In a speech at Quantico, Virginia, in September, Hegseth openly criticized several recently retired four-star generals. “The new compass heading is clear,” he declared. “Out with the Chiarellis, the McKenzies, and the Milleys,” referring to Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, former Army vice chief of staff, and Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., the former head of Central Command.

Many in the audience had served under the generals whom Hegseth disparaged and regarded them as mentors, including several younger officers. Representative Jason Crow, a Democrat from Colorado and former Army Ranger, warned that such rhetoric sends the wrong signal.

“The message being sent to younger soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines is that politics can and should play a role in their military service,” he said. “It’s a dangerous message.”

Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the retired commander who once led US special operations forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, voiced similar concern.

“The US military’s long-standing tradition of staying apolitical has always relied on a mutual understanding: the military avoids politics, while civilian leaders safeguard those in uniform from political interference,” McChrystal said. “Recent months have strained that balance at great risk. Once lost, the legitimacy of a military that serves and represents all Americans will be difficult to restore.”

Vagueness surrounds Hesgseth's dismissals

Many of Hegseth’s dismissals have left senior military leaders and even Trump administration officials confused and speculating about the reasons behind them. One such case is that of Gen. James J. Mingus, the Army’s vice chief of staff. Senior Army officials had expected him to remain in his position at least until next summer.

Working alongside Gen. Randy George, the Army’s chief of staff, Mingus played a key role in reshaping the Army for high-intensity combat and drone warfare in the Pacific.

However, his retirement was abruptly announced on October 21 with little consultation from senior Army leaders or Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll, according to military officials. No explanation was given for Mingus’ early departure or for his replacement by Lt. Gen. Christopher C. LaNeve, who previously commanded the 82nd Airborne Division.

Rear Adm. Michael Donnelly’s removal was driven by a different issue: a seven-year-old story revived by right-wing media outlets. In June, the Pentagon had announced that Donnelly, former commander of the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan, was being nominated for promotion to vice admiral and commander of the Navy’s largest overseas force, the Seventh Fleet.

But in July, Hegseth withdrew the nomination after The Daily Wire reported that Admiral Donnelly had permitted drag performances aboard the aircraft carrier. Navy officials said the report misrepresented the facts, noting that only one sailor had performed in drag during a talent show on the ship, and Admiral Donnelly was in Singapore at the time.

By the end of October, the Navy was still searching for a new commander for the Seventh Fleet.