Intel shake-up: Hegseth fires DIA chief after leak challenges Trump’s Iran strike claims
Washington: US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has dismissed the head of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) in what reports describe as a major internal upheaval at the Pentagon. Lt Gen Jeffery Kruse, who had been leading the DIA, was removed just weeks after a leaked intelligence assessment contradicted President Donald Trump’s claims about recent US strikes on Iran. According to US media, two other senior commanders have also been forced out.
Why was the DIA chief removed?
The Pentagon has not provided an official explanation for Kruse’s removal. However, the decision closely follows tensions over a DIA report that said American strikes had only set back Iran’s nuclear programme by a few months, rather than destroying it entirely. The White House dismissed the assessment as “flat out wrong,” while Trump insisted the sites were “completely obliterated,” calling the report an effort to undermine “one of the most successful military strikes in history.”
At the NATO summit in June, Hegseth sharply criticised the intelligence analysis, describing it as “low intelligence,” while also confirming that the FBI had opened an investigation into the leak.
More senior leaders forced out
Reuters reported that Hegseth has also removed the head of the US Naval Reserves and the commander of Naval Special Warfare Command. The Washington Post was the first to break news of Kruse’s dismissal.
The DIA, a Pentagon agency distinct from the CIA, is responsible for collecting and analysing military intelligence with a focus on battlefield and technical operations to support global missions.
Criticism over political loyalty
The move has been widely criticised as politically motivated. Senator Mark Warner accused Trump of using intelligence as “a loyalty test rather than a safeguard for our country.” Critics say Kruse’s firing highlights a recurring pattern in which officials lose their posts after their findings contradict the President’s narrative.
Earlier this year, Trump called for the sacking of Labour Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer after jobs reports showed a slowdown in growth. In April, he removed General Timothy Haugh from his position as head of the National Security Agency, alongside several senior National Security Council staff members.