New York, US (EFE).- United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday dismissed Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), after the White House criticized a classified review that assessed the impact of American strikes on Iran, the Pentagon confirmed to local media.
Hegseth also removed Vice Adm. Nancy, head of the Navy Reserve, and Rear Adm. Jamie Sands, a Navy SEAL officer overseeing the Naval Special Warfare Command.
The Pentagon did not provide an official explanation for the firings.
However, sources familiar with the matter told media outlets that one reason was a “loss of confidence” in the officials.
In June, United States President Donald Trump rejected a DIA report, leaked to the press, that concluded US attacks on Iran had delayed its nuclear program by only a few months.
The Republican president had previously claimed that Iran’s nuclear facilities were “completely destroyed.”
White House disputes intelligence
The White House publicly dismissed the agency’s evaluation, calling it “totally wrong.”
Hegseth went further, telling reporters the document had been drafted with “poor intelligence” and that the FBI was investigating the leak.
“The president has been clear that our military actions achieved decisive results. Any suggestion otherwise is misleading,” a senior administration official said.
The controversy highlighted growing tensions between the Pentagon and intelligence officials over how to assess Iran’s nuclear capabilities and the effectiveness of US operations.
Leadership shake-up
Kruse, who took over as DIA chief in 2023, had overseen intelligence gathering across global theaters, including monitoring adversaries such as China, Russia, and Iran.
His dismissal marks one of the most significant leadership shake-ups in US defense intelligence in years.
Lacore and Sands were also ousted without a detailed explanation.
Analysts noted that their removals, coming alongside Kruse’s, signal a broader effort by the Pentagon to align top military leadership with the administration’s positions ahead of escalating tensions in the Middle East.
The DIA, the Pentagon’s main intelligence branch, has been central to US assessments of Iran’s nuclear program, which Washington insists Tehran continues to pursue despite sanctions and diplomatic pressure. EFE
syr/seo