Five former defense secretaries condemned President Trump’s recent firings of senior military leaders as “reckless” in a letter to Congress, urging immediate hearings to evaluate the national security risks associated with these dismissals. The signatories, who served under both parties since 1994, expressed concern over the potential politicization of the military and the implications for recruiting talent. Trump dismissed Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., among others, and replaced them with lesser-known figures. The former officials called for Congress to hold Trump accountable and uphold its constitutional oversight responsibilities. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the firings as the president’s prerogative.
Five former secretaries of defense criticized President Trump’s dismissal of senior military leaders last week, describing it as “reckless” and urging Congress to reject the confirmation of their replacements.
In a rare letter addressed to lawmakers on Thursday, the five men — including one who served under Mr. Trump during his initial term — requested that the House and Senate convene “immediate hearings to evaluate the national security risks posed by Mr. Trump’s actions.”
The letter is endorsed by defense secretaries who have served under both Democratic and Republican administrations since 1994: William J. Perry, Leon Panetta, Chuck Hagel, Lloyd J. Austin III, and Jim Mattis, who was Mr. Trump’s first defense secretary.
In a shakeup of the military’s upper echelons last Friday, Mr. Trump dismissed Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., a four-star fighter pilot and only the second African American to chair the Joint Chiefs, announcing he would be succeeded by a relatively obscure retired three-star Air Force General, Dan Caine. In total, six Pentagon officials were let go, including Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to command the Navy; Gen. James Slife, the vice chief of the Air Force; and leading legal advisors for the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
“Mr. Trump’s dismissals pose concerning questions regarding the administration’s intent to politicize the military and to eliminate legal constraints on the president’s authority,” they stated in the letter. “Capable Americans may be significantly less inclined to pursue a military career if they fear being judged by political criteria.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asserted that the firings fall within the president’s prerogative to appoint individuals to these roles.
The five former defense secretaries called on Congress to “hold Mr. Trump accountable for these reckless decisions and to fully fulfill its constitutional oversight duties.”