Another leader at the Pentagon has been dismissed from their duties. A breaking report by the Washington Post has revealed that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. The reason behind Lt. Kruse’s firing has not been revealed, but it comes after he received backlash from the Trump administration over his assessment of the U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear sites. The Washington Post broke the story of the firing and provided more details: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has fired Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, the latest senior military or intelligence officer to lose his position in a wider purge of national security agencies’ top ranks, according to two people familiar with the matter. The people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, didn’t immediately cite a reason for the dismissal other than “loss of confidence,” a catchall term Hegseth has used to justify the sacking of other senior military officers this year. The firing follows a preliminary assessment from the DIA — the Pentagon’s main intelligence wing — of the military strikes on Iran’s three main nuclear sites in June, which prompted vicious backlash from the Trump administration after it was first reported by CNN and the New York Times. That preliminary report assessed that Iran’s nuclear capabilities had been set back only a matter of months, in contrast to Hegseth’s and President Donald Trump’s statements that the capabilities had been “obliterated.” The Pentagon and the Defense Intelligence Agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Since entering office, Hegseth has fired a slate of America’s most senior military officers, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles “C.Q.” Brown, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, Coast Guard Commandant Linda Fagan and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin announced he would step down in November, after being asked to retire last week and forced out of his position. The Trump administration has simultaneously purged a number of spy agency heads, whose roles, like the military’s, are supposed to be apolitical. Just in: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has officially fired Jeffrey Kruse the head Defense Intelligence Agency Kruse is responsible for leaking the report on the Iranian strikes to the media pic.twitter.com/KI7bSAY6lB — The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) August 22, 2025 So, who is Lt. Gen. Jeffrey A. Kruse? The Air Force provided this bio: ​​Lt. Gen. Jeffrey A. Kruse​ is ​the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency,​ ​Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington​, D.C. As the Director of DIA, Lt. Gen. Kruse serves as the Department of Defense’s senior military intelligence official supporting the Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, military services, combatant commands and the Director of National Intelligence by providing intelligence, counterintelligence, enterprise management, acquisition support, secure communications and crisis support to policymakers and warfighters around the globe. Prior to assuming his role at DIA, Lt. Gen. Kruse served as the Advisor for Military Affairs for the Director of National Intelligence and was awarded the National Intelligence Superior Service Medal. In this capacity—in partnership with executive leaders across DoD and the Intelligence Community—he oversaw and advocated for activities, capabilities and policies to drive enduring DoD-IC integration. Lt. Gen. Kruse also served as the Director for Defense Intelligence for Warfighter Support in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security. Lt. Gen. Kruse has extensive operational and combat experience in multiple theaters around the globe. He served as the Director of Intelligence for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, deployed as the Director of Intelligence for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve in the Middle East and served as the Senior Special Advisor to the Commander of U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe. Throughout his career, Lt. Gen. Kruse commanded Air Force and joint units at the squadron, group and wing levels. Other assignments included serving as Chief of Legislative Affairs for U.S. Strategic Command and as a programmer, panel chair, and head of the Air Force’s “Engine Room,” which develops the service’s annual budget. BREAKING – PURGE: SecDef Pete Hegseth has officially fired the Biden head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Jeffrey Kruse… …Kruse is the one who produced the “preliminary” report on the Iranian strikes that were LEAKED to the media, per WaPo. NOW it makes sense. pic.twitter.com/znXNCRw3Lm — Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 22, 2025