US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, on August 22, 2025, amid a broader purge of senior military officials by the Trump administration. The dismissal followed a leaked DIA preliminary assessment in June 2025 that contradicted President Trump’s claims of having obliterated Iranian nuclear facilities through US airstrikes, stating instead that the strikes merely delayed Iran’s program by a few months. This move, which also included the removal of Vice Admiral Nancy Lacore, head of the Navy Reserve, and Admiral Jamie Sands, commander of Naval Special Warfare Command, marks the latest in a series of terminations, including General Timothy Haugh from the National Security Agency in April 2025 and General C.Q. Brown from the Joint Chiefs of Staff in February 2025. Critics, including Senator Mark Warner, have raised concerns that such actions politicize intelligence by prioritizing loyalty over objective analysis, potentially undermining national security and the integrity of military governance. Deputy Director Christine Bordine has assumed the role of acting DIA director.