Former Pentagon Chiefs Condemn Trump’s Military Purge in Letter to Congress

News
Alexis N. Crockett
March 1, 2025
10 minutes read

Donald Trump speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Feb. 24, 2024 in National Harbor, Maryland. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Several former Pentagon chiefs criticized President Donald Trump on Thursday for his removal of the Joint Chiefs chairman and multiple senior military officials, according to The Washington Post. Lloyd Austin, Jim Mattis, Chuck Hagel, Leon Panetta, and William Perry—who collectively served as Defense Secretaries from 1994 to 2025—expressed their concerns in a letter to Congress, stating they were “deeply alarmed” by Trump’s actions.

The letter was released less than a week after Trump dismissed C.Q. Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “We are deeply alarmed by President Trump’s recent dismissals of several senior U.S. military leaders. We write to urge the U.S. Congress to hold Mr. Trump to account for these reckless actions and to exercise fully its Constitutional oversight responsibilities,” the ex-officials wrote.

According to the letter, Trump offered no explanation for the firings despite having previously nominated these officers for their roles, with Senate approval. The officials stressed that these officers possessed “exemplary operational and combat experience,” asserting that Trump’s actions “make clear that none of this was about warfighting.”

“Mr. Trump’s dismissals raise troubling questions about the administration’s desire to politicize the military and to remove legal constraints on the President’s power. We, like many Americans—including many troops—are therefore left to conclude that these leaders are being fired for purely partisan reasons,” the letter stated.

Trump and Melania Jimmy Carter funeral — Donald Trump and his wife Melania attended the state funeral held in Washington, D.C., for former President Jimmy Carter. (Photo by Ricky Carioti – Pool/Getty Images)

The former Defense Secretaries urged Congress to immediately hold hearings on the national security implications of the firings. They also called on lawmakers to demand that the administration justify each removal and clarify why the dismissals violated Congress’ legislative intent, which ensures that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs serves a four-year term.

In the meantime, they advised the Senate to withhold confirmation of new Pentagon appointments—including that of retired Lt. General Dan Caine, Trump’s nominee for the next Joint Chiefs chairman. “President Trump’s actions undermine our all-volunteer force and weaken our national security. Talented Americans may be far less likely to choose a life of military service if they believe they will be held to a political standard.

Those currently serving may grow cautious of speaking truth to power or they could erode good order and discipline by taking political actions in uniform. And the public’s traditionally high trust in the armed forces could begin to wither,” the letter warned.

The former officials’ criticism underscores mounting concerns over the politicization of military leadership under the Trump administration, raising alarms about its long-term impact on national security and civil-military relations.