WASHINGTON (Dispatches) - At least 20 generals, admirals and civilian defense leaders have been fired or have departed their jobs since Pete Hegseth became defense secretary at the beginning of the second Trump administration.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll’s resignation Monday was the latest in a series of exits by senior Pentagon and military officials.
The U.S. military has remained active under Trump 2.0 as turnover has spread across senior Pentagon leadership.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, eager to reshape the military and reduce the number of generals and senior ranks, has been at the forefront of pushing leaders out.
The latest, Driscoll’s departure came even though he was a rising star in the Trump administration. He seemingly had an icy relationship with Hegseth and felt it was time to leave amid concerns about the state of the Army, Axios’ Barak Ravid and Colin Demarest report.
Driscoll’s decision to leave resembles the exit of Navy Secretary John Phelan, a fellow Pentagon official Hegseth fired in April 2026.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George retired in April, just a few weeks after the Iran war began. According to multiple reports, Hegseth called for George to step down. His departure came more than a year before his term was up.
Army Gen. Christopher Donahue announced his exit in July after 18 months as commanding general of U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
According to The Washington Post, Hegseth pushed back against efforts to extend Donahue’s career, which led to the general’s exit.
Donahue’s storied career included him being the last soldier to leave Afghanistan.
Army vice chief of staff Gen. James Mingus served as vice chief of staff of the Army for less than two years, despite the typical three-year term.
Trump nominated Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve, previously senior military assistant to Hegseth, to take over the role before Mingus publicly announced plans to step aside.
According to The Washington Post, Mingus was forced into early retirement.
Former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown Jr. was the highest-ranking U.S. military officer when Trump fired him in February 2025, roughly 16 months into his four-year term.
Hegseth had previously suggested firing him for promoting DEI policies.
Adm. Lisa Franchetti made history as the first woman to serve as chief of naval operations and to become a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Hegseth fired her in February 2025 in a leadership purge that took down other top officials.
CNN reports Hegseth once described Franchetti as a “DEI hire.”
Hegseth removed Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife during the February 2025 leadership purge that also took out Franchetti and Brown.
The move came amid widespread military changes at the time. Former President Biden had nominated Brown, Franchetti and Slife to their positions.