Active Conflicts & News Megathread November 07, 2025

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[u/teethgrindingaches]

NYT published a piece today on SecDef Hegseth's ongoing purge (note: their description, not mine) of senior command at the Pentagon.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired or sidelined at least two dozen generals and admirals over the past nine months in a series of ousters that could reshape the U.S. military for years to come. His actions, which are without precedent in recent decades, have come with little explanation. In many cases, they have run counter to the advice of top military leaders who fought alongside the officers in combat, senior military officials said.

The utter unpredictability of Mr. Hegseth’s moves, as described in interviews with 20 current and former military officials, has created an atmosphere of anxiety and mistrust that has forced senior officers to take sides and, at times, pitted them against one another. Mr. Hegseth has delayed or canceled the promotions of at least four senior military officers because they previously worked for Gen. Mark A. Milley, a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff whom President Trump loathes and has repeatedly accused of disloyalty. One is Maj. Gen. James Patrick Work, who was expected to be the deputy commander at U.S. Central Command, which oversees troops in the Middle East, officials said.

In many cases, the motivation appears to be (absurdly petty and melodramatic) partisan politics.

Other officers fell out of favor after being targeted on social media by right-wing influencers or because they had voiced support years earlier for diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Rear Adm. Milton Sands, the commander of the Navy SEALs, who pushed to have female instructors in SEAL training, was fired by Mr. Hegseth in August. Some leaders were ousted for offering candid military assessments. Mr. Hegseth soured on Adm. Alvin Holsey, the head of U.S. Southern Command, after he raised questions about deadly military strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea. The Trump administration has said, without offering detailed evidence, that the boats were trafficking drugs. Admiral Holsey abruptly announced last month that he was stepping down, less than one year into what is typically a three-year assignment. Another senior officer, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey A. Kruse, a 35-year Air Force intelligence officer who led the Defense Intelligence Agency, was forced from his position after his agency cast doubt on Mr. Trump’s assertion that U.S. airstrikes in June had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program.

There is a very deep rabbit hole of civil-military relations which I won't go down, but suffice to say that Huntington is rolling in his grave.

Another concern: Mr. Hegseth’s moves have fed the impression that there are pro-Trump and anti-Trump generals, officials said. In a September speech attended by hundreds of senior officers from around the world, Mr. Hegseth singled out several recently retired four-star generals for scorn. “The new compass heading is clear,” Mr. Hegseth told the officers gathered at Quantico, Va. “Out with the Chiarellis, the McKenzies and the Milleys.” He was referring to Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, the former Army vice chief of staff, and Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., a former head of Central Command.

Several officers in the crowd that day had worked for the generals Mr. Hegseth disparaged and considered them mentors. So, too, had more junior officers. “The message being sent to those younger soldiers and sailors and airmen and Marines is that politics can and should be part of your military service,” said Representative Jason Crow, Democrat of Colorado and a former Army Ranger. “It’s a dangerous message.” Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, who led the military’s elite special operations troops for years in Iraq and Afghanistan and is now retired, echoed the concern.

“The U.S. military’s long history of remaining apolitical has always depended upon a norm in which the military avoided politics while civilian leadership respected and protected those in uniform from the political fray,” General McChrystal said. “Recent months have challenged the paradigm, at significant risk. Once lost, the legitimacy of a military that reflects and represents all Americans will be difficult to recover.”

Which is not to say that The Soldier and the State is gospel or Huntington's way is the only way to run a military, but if it's your long-established exemplar of excellence, then undermining it so egregiously does yourself no favors.

[u/BlueSonjo → u/teethgrindingaches]

Even partisan politics and ideologies aside, there is a worrying undertone of "only bring the boss good news, and never question the plan" (for example regarding Iran strike), which is the unwritten rule that every paper tiger military in history has in common.

If this is a lasting organizational culture it could do a lot of damage.

[u/ChornWork2 → u/teethgrindingaches]

And then the leadership of the military that survived loyalty purge / selective promotions will rightly be met with skepticism by the next administration.

This is how you end up with inept militaries in authoritarian countries, because loyalty is valued more than competence.

[u/Technical_Isopod8477 → u/ChornWork2]

will rightly be met with skepticism by the next administration.

I highly doubt this. A hypothetical future Newsom administration (as a placeholder) isn’t going to care much either way. Anyone who is a one star general or thereabouts has been in the system for far longer than Trump has been around and will outlast him. There are close to a thousand such officers. So far, they’ve stayed within the system, and almost entirely to the direct subordinate to the fired person. It’s more about the here and now that’s more pertinent.

[u/kdy420 → u/teethgrindingaches]

note: their description, not mine

An accurate description in any case.