Overview

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth removed Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, with officials saying he will no longer serve as DIA director and congressional briefings citing a loss of confidence.
• Deputy Director Christine Bordine has assumed the role of acting director, according to a DIA spokesperson.
• The DIA’s initial, classified assessment—completed roughly a day after the June operation—found limited damage and was labeled low confidence before being leaked to the press.
• President Trump and the White House rejected the assessment and condemned the leak, while Hegseth emphasized that the report was preliminary and uncoordinated across the intelligence community.
• Sen. Mark Warner criticized the firing as part of a broader pattern of leadership removals that he says risks politicizing intelligence, as other senior military and intelligence officials have also been ousted this year.