In a move that has intensified concerns about the political takeover of the military, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has orchestrated the removal of Gen. David W. Allvin, the Air Force chief of staff. This decision is the most recent in a string of early firings of top military officers, which has drawn criticism from both former defense secretaries and a current congressman.
The administration seems to be carrying out a widespread purge of military leadership. The F-47 fighter jet, a next-generation aircraft whose name is said to be an honor for Trump, the 47th president, was announced by the president back in March, with Gen. Allvin present at the announcement. However, Allvin, whom the previous administration appointed, has now been forced to step down, a decision that insiders told The Washington Post was not his own.
Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, who was a Marine officer in Iraq and now serves on the House Armed Services Committee, said, “That’s a recipe not just for a politicized military, but an authoritarian military. That’s the way militaries work in Russia and China and North Korea.”
Trump is getting rid of opposition in the military
The firing of General Allvin is one part of a larger, continuing pattern of dismissals. The list of high ranking military officials who have been removed includes Air Force General Timothy Haugh, who led both U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency; General Charles Q. Brown Jr., the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; General James Slife, a former vice chief of staff of the Air Force; and several admirals and lieutenant generals from the Navy, Coast Guard, and Army.
This list also includes Admiral Linda Fagan, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Lt. Gen. Jennifer Short, Lt. Gen. Joseph B. Berger III, Lt. Gen. Charles Plummer, and Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield. The sheer number of these dismissals is alarming.
It's Authoritarian..I would have hoped The US Military would have pushed back against Pete Hegseth and DJT..they didn't..instead they reluctantly marched in a Military Birthday Party in June and rolled out a red carpet for Vladimir Putin in August..The US Military is compromised…
— SR72 (@SR72SistaSoulja) August 18, 2025
Earlier this year, five former defense secretaries, including General Jim Mattis, who was Trump’s first defense secretary, released a joint statement condemning the firings as reckless. Their collective letter to Congress called for immediate hearings to assess the national security risks of these actions.
Even with these warnings, Hegseth and the administration have apparently ignored the concerns, and the purge continues without any hearings scheduled by Republican leaders on Capitol Hill. The problem has only gotten worse with the latest removal of General Allvin. The continuing elimination of senior military leadership suggests a coordinated effort to remake the armed forces, which brings up serious questions about national security and the future of military command.
