Members of President-elect Donald Trump's transition team are compiling a list of military officers to be dismissed, possibly including members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Reuters reported citing two sources.

The move would represent an unprecedented shakeup at the Pentagon. The planning is still in its early stages following Trump's election victory on November 5, and the final decisions could change as his administration takes form, the sources, who are familiar with the transition, told Reuters on the condition of anonymity.

The big picture

One source raised concerns about the practicality of a widespread firing at the Pentagon. It remains uncertain whether Trump himself will support the plan, although he has previously criticized defense leaders who have opposed him. During the campaign, Trump also mentioned firing "woke" generals and those involved in the chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.

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The second source stated that the incoming administration will likely target US military officers associated with Mark Milley, Trump’s former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Milley, who was quoted in Bob Woodward’s book War published last month, referred to Trump as “fascist to the core,” and Trump’s allies have criticized Milley for what they perceive as disloyalty. The source added, “Every single person that was elevated and appointed by Milley will be gone.”

“There’s a very detailed list of everybody that was affiliated with Milley. And they will all be gone,” the source said as quoted by Reuters. The Joint Chiefs of Staff consisted of the top-ranking officers in the US military, including the heads of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, National Guard, and Space Force. This revelation about plans to dismiss senior US military leaders comes one day after Trump selected Pete Hegseth, a Fox News commentator and veteran, as his defense secretary, a move that signals his intention to overhaul the Pentagon.

“The next president of the United States needs to radically overhaul Pentagon senior leadership to make us ready to defend our nation and defeat our enemies. Lots of people need to be fired,” Hegseth stated in his 2024 book The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free. It remains uncertain whether Hegseth's lack of management experience could hinder his Senate confirmation, or if a more conventional candidate for the role would pursue such extensive dismissals, as per the report.

Trump's team targets senior military leaders

Hegseth has also targeted Air Force General C.Q. Brown, Milley’s successor, questioning whether his appointment was due to his race rather than his abilities. "Was it because of his skin color? Or his skill? We’ll never know, but always doubt—which on its face seems unfair to CQ. But since he has made the race card one of his biggest calling cards, it doesn’t really much matter," he wrote.

The first source familiar with the transition plans said Brown would be among those to be dismissed. "The chiefs of the Joint Chiefs and all the vice chiefs will be fired immediately," the source stated, though emphasizing that the plan was still in its early stages.

Some current and former US officials have downplayed the likelihood of such an extensive shakeup, arguing that it would be disruptive, especially amid ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. However, the first source suggested that the plan could be more rhetoric than reality, given the bureaucratic difficulty of removing and replacing a large number of senior officials.

The second source, however, indicated as cited by Reuters that the Trump team believes the Joint Chiefs need to be downsized due to what they perceive as bureaucratic overreach. "These people are not irreplaceable. They are very replaceable," the source said, adding, "And there is no shortage of people that will step up. In World War Two, we were very rapidly appointing people in their 30s or people competent to be generals. And you know what? We won the war."