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Nominated by Donald Trump to head the Pentagon, Defense Minister Pete Hegseth (here on March 7th in the presidential plane) is leading a ‘purge’ in the army, according to the American press.

In Brief

• General Randy George’s departure in the midst of the war against Iran reveals a ‘purge’ orchestrated by Pete Hegseth.
• The politicization of the Pentagon intensifies, with frequent dismissals and a desire to replace military elites with Trump supporters.
• Marie-Christine Bonzom points out that the phenomenon is not new but has ‘amplified since Trump.’

Pete Hegseth seems to be at war with his own ministry. This is what ‘The Atlantic’ media asserts, despite the Defense Minister orchestrating the dismissal of General Randy George, Chief of Staff of the Army, announced on Thursday, April 2nd in the midst of the war against Iran. American press, along with its counterparts ‘The Wall Street Journal’ and ‘Politico,’ now refer to a ‘purge’ at the top of the American army.

General George ‘will relinquish his duties as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army, effective immediately,’ said Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell in a message on X where he wishes him ‘a nice retirement.’ Two other generals were also relieved of their duties at the same time, according to a Defense Department official on Friday, confirming reports from ‘The Washington Post’ and CBS. This includes David Hodne, in charge of the Command of Transformation and Training of the Army, and William Green Jr, at the head of the military chaplains corps.

Their names add to the already long list of high-ranking officers dismissed by the Trump administration in the first year of the mandate. In November, ‘The New York Times’ already spoke of a ‘purge’ of ‘two dozen generals and admirals’ who were either ‘dismissed or removed’ by Pete Hegseth. These were measures ‘unprecedented in the last two decades’ and were ‘accompanied by very few explanations,’ as emphasized by the leading American newspaper.

Never has an administration gone so far

‘Throughout US history, there have always been tensions and disagreements between the civilian command of the armed forces – the president and the defense minister – and the military command,’ emphasizes Marie-Christine Bonzom, a political scientist and journalist specialized in the United States, to HuffPost. ‘These tensions have existed under Republican and Democratic presidents, leading to dismissals or retirements,’ she continues, ‘but the Trump administration in the second term is the one that has gone the farthest and the fastest and in the most systematic way.’

This expert, long based in Washington where she covered the White House and the Pentagon for the BBC, does not refute the term ‘purge’ used by the American press and notes a change in ‘relations with the Pentagon.’ ‘Previously, they were relatively discreet, especially during wartime when tensions were somewhat kept in the background,’ she describes. ‘The Trump administration, however, is particularly abrupt, and publicly: the dismissal of General George was announced by a very concise statement from Hegseth’s spokesperson’ on X.

Several American journalists seem surprised by this departure in the midst of the war against Iran. Marie-Christine Bonzom, on her part, points out that this timing is not new. Generals have already been dismissed during the Korean or Iraq wars, as well as during World War II. ‘Sometimes, it’s due to personal conflicts, as is the case for Pete Hegseth with some high-ranking officers he sidelined,’ asserts the journalist, ‘there are also disagreements on strategic priorities, budget, or personnel management.’

‘Hegseth seems to want to settle scores’

The purges led by Pete Hegseth are also explained by his personal background. ‘He is not just a former presenter on Fox News, he is a Princeton graduate who enlisted in the infantry, volunteered to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, and rose to the rank of major,’ mentions Marie-Christine Bonzom. According to her, the Trumpist gives ‘the impression of wanting to settle scores’ since becoming minister.

An analysis shared by ‘The Atlantic,’ which condemns the ‘vindictive quarrels of Hegseth with the army,’ quoting a passage from the minister’s book released in 2024 where he wrote: ‘The army spat on me.’ ‘He embodies the very strong resentment of some soldiers and non-commissioned officers who felt humiliated by the generals, perceived as an elite focused on their career at the Pentagon,’ leaving the troops in difficulty in Iraq and Afghanistan,’ analyzes Marie-Christine Bonzom.

The turnover in the army can be seen as the Pentagon’s application of the fight against elites, a classic of Trumpist rhetoric. This promises a fight against the ‘deep state,’ a ‘deep state’ with its own political agenda, independent of popular will and the succession of administrations.

The tensions at the Pentagon also reflect its increasing politicization by political actors. CBS, which revealed Randy George’s dismissal, quoted an anonymous American official affirming that Pete Hegseth wanted to replace him with someone who would apply the Trumpist vision on military issues. A profile that matches General Christophe LaNeve, who is favored in the press to take the lead of the army.

The practice of dismissal may well survive Trump

‘We are witnessing a hyper-polarization of American politics that also contaminates institutions: from the media to the courts, passing through the Pentagon,’ describes Marie-Christine Bonzom. A phenomenon she compares to a ‘wild locomotive set in motion in Washington for decades.’ If she didn’t ‘start’ it, ‘its course has accelerated since Trump, because of him and the Democrats’ reaction to his policy,’ the political scientist estimates.

According to her, there is a ‘risk’ that dismissals in the army will become normalized and continue after Donald Trump’s departure. ‘There has always been a desire by presidents and defense ministers to leave their mark on the Pentagon,’ she mentions, a ‘trend’ that ‘the current administration takes to its highest point’ at the risk of giving ideas to those who will succeed him. ‘Given the partisan hyper-polarization, it is very likely that the next president will continue in this direction, arguing that it is constitutional and that Donald Trump did it,’ anticipates Marie-Christine Bonzom.

An outcome remains in the hands of Congress, according to the United States specialist. ‘It has a role to play since generals appointed to the highest positions must be confirmed by senators under the Constitution,’ she argues, noting that the upper house ‘could try, in a bipartisan spirit, to fight against this growing politicization.’ It remains to be seen if it is capable of doing so as, as the journalist points out, ‘Congress is paralyzed by polarization, precisely.’