U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield, who held a senior role within NATO, was dismissed from her position as part of what seems to be a growing purge of top national security officials by the Trump administration, according to multiple sources on Monday.
Although the Pentagon has not immediately confirmed the news, sources indicated that NATO allies had been informed of Chatfield’s removal from her role as the U.S. military representative to the NATO Military Committee. Chatfield was one of the few female Navy three-star officers and made history as the first woman to lead the Naval War College until 2023.
Her firing follows the removal of General Timothy Haugh, the head of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, earlier in the week. Additionally, it comes on the heels of the firing of Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to serve as Chief of Naval Operations. These moves contribute to a larger trend of high-profile departures within the Pentagon, coinciding with the Trump administration’s increasingly strained relations with NATO and European allies since the beginning of his term.
During his first visit to NATO headquarters in February, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned European nations against relying too heavily on the U.S. for defense. However, the reasons behind Chatfield’s dismissal remain unclear, with no official explanation provided, and it’s uncertain whether her removal is tied to any shifts in U.S. policy regarding NATO.
Jack Reed, the senior Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called Chatfield’s dismissal “unjustified” and condemned Republican silence on the matter. “The silence from my Republican colleagues is deeply troubling… I cannot fathom how anyone could stand silently by while the President causes great harm to our military and our nation,” Reed stated.
One source speculated that Chatfield’s firing could be connected to the Pentagon’s increasing crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. Chatfield herself had previously spoken out in a Harvard Magazine interview about the challenges women face in military roles, emphasizing a future where qualifications would no longer be questioned because of gender.
Hegseth, a key figure in the administration’s push against DEI initiatives, has prioritized eliminating programs he believes are divisive. He has also directed the military to end observances like Black History Month and Women’s History Month, stating that efforts to elevate one group over another threaten unity within the military.
In recent weeks, other senior military figures, including General C.Q. Brown and several admirals and generals, have also been removed from their posts. Concerns have grown among former and current officials that any national security official could face dismissal if they are perceived as disloyal or aligned with those who have fallen out of favor within the Trump administration. The U.S. military is expected to be loyal to the Constitution, remaining independent of political factions.
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