Hegseth enrages Canada by mocking appearance of female military cadets

Here are the military leaders who have been removed from their positions under Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary of the United States during the second Trump administration:

1. Air Force General Charles Q. Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was abruptly fired by President Trump in February 2025. Brown, a former fighter pilot with over 3,100 flight hours, was the second Black general to hold the position in the military's history. He was replaced by Air Force General Dan Caine.

2. Navy Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the chief of naval operations, was relieved of her duties without explanation on the same day that General Brown was fired. Franchetti was the first woman to serve as a four-star admiral in the Navy and had previously held various high-ranking positions, including leading the 6th Fleet and U.S. Naval Forces Korea.

3. General James Slife, the Air Force vice chief of staff, also left his position following Hegseth's tenure. Slife had a distinguished career, serving in various special operations assignments and commanding the Air Force Special Operations Command.

4. Army Lieutenant General Joseph B. Berger III, the judge advocate general of the Army, was fired by Hegseth. Berger had served as a career infantry officer, participating in the Gulf War and the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. He had also served as the senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

5. Army Lieutenant General Charles Plummer, the judge advocate general of the Air Force, was also terminated by Hegseth. Plummer had been a career officer, with experience in various assignments and leadership roles.

These military leaders were removed from their positions under Hegseth's leadership, either due to disagreements, concerns about leaking to the media, or a push for a "hard reset" on military leadership and legal practices.