Pete Hegseth might meet the fate of top military officers he fired as Trump considers removing him after Republicans lose midterms: Here’s a list of all those the Secretary of Defense sacked

President Donald Trump is considering firing Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, CBS reported citing sources. The president is reportedly seeking advice from his top aides on whether the top level official should continue in his job after the Republicans suffered massive losses in Tuesday’s midterm elections.

However, the President has denied media reports, saying Hegseth is doing a “very good job”. According to Fox News, several current and former administration officials are continuing to question how long Hegseth could stay in the position after midterm elections.

Hegseth has been one of the most vocal advocates for the Iran War despite its economic cost, a highly contentious point for the recent elections. Now with top officials in the administration, including Vice President JD Vance blaming the war for the sweeping Republican losses, Hegseth could be on the President’s chopping block.


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As the Democrats sweep the midterms, Hegseth also faces impeachment

With the Democrats sweeping the midterm, and the GOP losing majority in both the Senate and the House the Defense Secretary is also facing potential impeachment. Several Democrats have vowed oversight on him and others may also try to impeach him over the coming months.

Hegseth has faced intense criticism from the Democrats over the war in the Middle East over how he has managed the military. According to USA Today, the incoming House Armed Services Committee Chair, Adam Smith has vowed to probe Hegseth over the Iran war and other scandals. These include the Pentagon’s spree of firing high-ranking officials and also the use of a social media app to discuss sensitive military operations.

Hegseth’s fate might be similar to those he sacked

Over the period since the Defense Secretary’s tenure began in January 2025, over 25 military and other civilian officials have been sacked or forced to leave or even retired early, MS Now reported. Hegseth in 2025, told the active duty military and the National Guard to cut about 20% of its four-star general officers and top officials respectively.

Here’s a list of officials Hegseth’s administration has sacked:

• Army strategist Lt Gen Brett Sylvia fired over leaks

The latest victim of the Pentagon’s firing spree had reportedly been high-ranking army strategist, Lt Gen Brett Sylvia. The official has been accused of leaking classified information. This included information on Ukraine and Iran to media outlets over a period of a year, Axios reported citing an internal report.

• Air Force General Charles Q. Brown

The former Air Force General, Charles Q. Brown, who also served as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was fired in February 2025. Hegseth told Fox News that the move was so the President was able to select his own adviser. According to CBS, Brown was only the second Black general to serve as chairman in the history of the US military. He was later replaced with Air Force Gen. Dan Caine.

• Lt. Gen. Jennifer Short, senior military assistant to the Defense Secretary

Lt. Gen. Short served as the senior military assistant to the Defense Secretary for Lloyd Austin and then also for Hegseth till February 2025. She served a 30-year long career in the air force, which began in 1995.

• Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the first-ever woman chief of naval operations

Adm. Lisa Franchetti was relieved of her duties along with Brown in February 2025. She was the first woman to be a part of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and only the second to become a four-star admiral, CBS News reported. No explanation was given about her being sacked.

• Gen. Randy George, Army Chief of Staff

Hegseth, in April 2026, asked former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to take an immediate retirement, CBS News reported earlier, quoting sources. Along with George, two other Army officials, Gen. David Hodne and Maj. Gen. William Green, were also removed.

• Jon Harrison, Navy Chief of Staff

Harrison served as the Chief of Staff of the Navy from January to October 2025 after being appointed by President Trump himself. However, he was abruptly fired by Hegseth. Several media reports, including the Guardian, cited internal power struggle as the reason being Harrison being sacked.

• Adm. Alvin Holsey, head of the US Southern Command

The head of US military’s Southern Command retired in 2025, just over a year after he was promoted into the post. During his time in the top post, he oversaw the military strikes on alleged drug boats in the Pacific Ocean.

Several other top military officials were either fired or forced to retire by Hegseth during the period. According to a list compiled by MS Now some of these include, Air Force vice chief of staff, General James Slife, Air Force chief of staff David Allvin and NSA director, Air Force General Timothy Haugh who was fired in April 2025.