Pentagon Fires Defense Intelligence Agency Head Over Iran Assessment

The Pentagon has fired Air Force Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), following a preliminary DIA report that contradicted President Trump's claims of having "obliterated" Iran's nuclear sites in recent U.S. strikes. The assessment indicated that Iran's nuclear program was only set back by a few months, angering Trump and his administration. Kruse's removal is part of a broader pattern of senior military and intelligence officials being ousted during President Trump's second term, including the heads of the National Security Agency, the Navy, and other top military leaders, amid accusations of politicizing intelligence and military leadership. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended these changes as efforts to install trusted leaders, while Democratic lawmakers, including Senator Mark Warner, criticized the moves as undermining the nonpartisan nature of U.S. intelligence. This shake-up follows other significant leadership changes such as the early retirement of the Air Force chief of staff and cuts in intelligence personnel and budgets. The firing underscores tensions between the administration's public messaging and intelligence community assessments.