Pentagon ousts Defense Intelligence Agency chief after Iran report dispute

The Pentagon has dismissed Air Force Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), weeks after the agency circulated a preliminary report contradicting President Donald Trump’s claims that US strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities. The DIA assessment concluded Tehran’s program was delayed by only months, sparking White House anger and public pushback against the agency’s analysis. The New York Times reported the news.

General Kruse, a 34-year Air Force veteran with senior intelligence posts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Indo-Pacific, became the second top intelligence leader removed since Trump’s return to office. Earlier this year, Gen. Timothy Haugh was forced out as head of the National Security Agency after political complaints. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also recently fired Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore, chief of the Navy Reserve, and Rear Adm. Jamie Sands, who led Naval Special Warfare Command.

The Pentagon cited a “loss of confidence” in Kruse but did not specify whether he will be reassigned or retire. Christine Bordine, DIA’s deputy director, will serve as acting director pending Senate confirmation of a successor.

Lawmakers expressed alarm. Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.), ranking member on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the move exemplifies the administration’s “dangerous habit of treating intelligence as a loyalty test rather than a safeguard for our country.”

The firings reflect broader tensions between the Trump administration and intelligence officials. The White House was displeased with DIA’s slow progress on a data management tool called MARS and critical of what it views as the agency’s bloated structure. Reports suggest Elon Musk’s “government efficiency” team also clashed with DIA leadership during a headquarters visit earlier this year.

Kruse’s removal underscores the risks for intelligence leaders who deliver fact-based assessments at odds with administration narratives. As Warner warned, sidelining professional expertise in favor of political expediency could erode US national security.