Key points
- Republican lawmakers receive lists
- Dismissals could be imminent
- Democrats not informed yet
ISLAMABAD: United States Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth may fire some senior generals including Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Charles Q Brown Jr.
This could be part of an effort to purge the department of senior leaders perceived as either too political or too close to former secretary of defence Lloyd Austin, ABC News reported.
Rumours about the impending dismissals have been percolating for weeks, but a more formal list of those who could be fired was recently shared with Republican lawmakers, suggesting that the dismissals could be imminent, one of the sources told the US media outlet.
The fact that the list was sent to lawmakers was first reported by NBC.
The list includes Gen CQ Brown, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the sources said.
“Brown should be fired”
Before he was nominated as defence secretary, Hegseth said Brown should be fired because of his “woke” focus on diversity, equity and inclusion programmes inside the military.
“First of all, you’ve got to fire the chairman of the Joint Chiefs,” Hegseth said in a November appearance on the “Shawn Ryan Show.”
“But any general that was involved – general, admiral, whatever – that was involved in any of the DEI woke s— has got to go.
First of all, you’ve got to fire the chairman of the Joint Chiefs.” – US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth
“Either you’re in for warfighting, and that’s it. That’s the only litmus test we care about,” Hegseth said.
On Hegseth’s first day in the Pentagon, however, he stood next to Brown and said he looked forward to working with him.
A spokesperson for Brown declined to comment.
According to CNN, the list also includes the current Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to serve in the role. Franchetti is also the first woman ever to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
