Former US Defense Secretaries Call for Congressional Hearings on Military Firings
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Politics
February 28, 2025 09:12
washington - Five former defense secretaries, including both Democrats and Republicans, urge Congress to hold immediate hearings on recent military dismissals.
Former Defense Secretaries Petition Congress for Hearings
Five former US defense secretaries, from both Democratic and Republican administrations, are calling on the American Congress to hold immediate hearings regarding recent military dismissals. Lloyd Austin, Jim Mattis, William Perry, Leon Panetta, and Chuck Hagel have expressed concerns over the alarming wave of firings, which they believe raise disturbing questions about the government's intentions to politicize the military and circumvent legal constraints on presidential power.
The former defense secretaries find no justification for the dismissals, leading them to conclude that the actions are purely driven by partisan motives. They fear that these moves could compromise the independence of the military establishment.
President Donald Trump recently fired General CQ Brown as military commander, following which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed, among others, Admiral Lisa Franchetti as navy leader and General Jim Slife from the air force. Franchetti had served in the navy for nearly 40 years.
The ex-defense secretaries are demanding that both the House and the Senate require the government to provide justifications for each dismissal. They are also calling on senators to withhold approval for any new Pentagon nominations in the meantime.