Donald Trump has purged top military figures in the Pentagon, including firing America’s most senior commander.
He also pushed out five other admirals and generals in an unprecedented shake-up of US military leadership.
The Pentagon had been bracing for mass firings of civilian staff as well as a dramatic overhaul of its budget and a shift in military deployments.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General CQ Brown – America’s highest-ranking general and only the second black general to serve as chairman – was fired with immediate effect.
The president will also replace the head of the US Navy, a position held by Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to lead a military service, and the Air Force vice chief of staff, the Pentagon said.
He is also removing the judge advocates general for the Army, Navy and Air Force, critical positions that ensure enforcement of military justice.
The campaign to rid the military of leaders who support diversity and equity in the ranks has been condemned by Democrats.
Representative Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat, said the firings were “un-American, unpatriotic, and dangerous for our troops and our national security.”
“This is the definition of politicising our military,” he said.
Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee said: “Firing uniformed leaders as a type of political loyalty test, or for reasons relating to diversity and gender that have nothing to do with performance, erodes the trust and professionalism that our servicemembers require to achieve their missions.”
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During the election, Mr Trump spoke of firing “woke” generals and those he saw as responsible for the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Defence secretary and former Fox News personality Pete Hegseth has questioned whether General Brown would have got the job if he were not black.
There is no indication his appointment was not based on merit.
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On Friday, Mr Trump said: “I want to thank General Charles ‘CQ’ Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country, including as our current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family.”
It’s unclear who Mr Trump will choose to replace the judge advocates. Mr Hegseth previously criticised military lawyers, saying most “spend more time prosecuting our troops than putting away bad guys”.
