U.S. Secretary of Defense Fires Pentagon Intelligence Chief

SadaNews - The Washington Post reported, citing informed sources, that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has dismissed Pentagon Intelligence Chief Jeffrey Kruz due to a "loss of confidence." The newspaper stated: "The Secretary of Defense has dismissed General Jeffrey Kruz, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. This is the latest high-ranking military or intelligence official to lose their position in a sweeping purge of leadership in national security agencies, according to two informed sources." It is noted that at the end of April, the American newspaper Politico reported that the Pentagon was rife with conflict due to Hegseth's struggle for power, where "complete chaos" prevails in the institution. The newspaper added that Hegseth surrounded himself with advisers who quickly turned into fierce rivals competing for power, and their bitter struggle against each other devolved into acts of retaliation, sudden firings, and accusations of information leaks and scandalous headlines that undermine the Pentagon's reputation. The British newspaper Daily Mail reported at the end of July, citing officials at the department, that a number of Pentagon officials were drafting a letter demanding Hegseth's resignation. According to the newspaper, drafts of the letter have been "circulating" since May among senior military officials as well as civilian employees, so that "the American public knows this man has no idea what he is doing," a source told the newspaper. The Daily Mail pointed out that the letter contains complaints about politicized decision-making and "malfunctioning" across the entire department, declining morale, and the ambiguous atmosphere resulting from what sources describe as "Hegseth's obsession with eradicating dissent."