The removal of the head of the US Defense Intelligence Agency

The Trump administration has once again taken a major step at the top level of the US administration. Suddenly, two senior military officers including the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) were removed by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Two US officials confirmed this information, according to a Reuters report However, it is not yet clear why DIA chief Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Cruz was removed.

Not only Cruz, but the head of the Naval Reserve Unit and the commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command were also relieved of their duties that day. Officials said on condition of anonymity, none of them know the reason for this decision.

However, it is known that the move has been speculated since a secret DIA report was leaked to the media a few days ago. The report noted that the June 22 US airstrikes on three of Iran's nuclear facilities only delayed Tehran's program by a few months. But Trump claimed that Iran's program was completely destroyed in the attack. Trump was outraged by the leak of this report and called it "fake news".

Senator Mark Warner, vice-chairman of the US Senate Intelligence Committee, said, "The removal of another senior national security official is a reflection of the Trump administration's dangerous tendency to use the intelligence agencies as a tool to verify loyalty rather than national security."

This move is also seen as a continuation of the previous decisions of the administration. Earlier in April, National Security Agency (NSA) director General Timothy Hoff and more than a dozen Security Council officials were removed. Also in February, Hegseth made a major change in leadership, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General C. Q. Brown and five other senior military officers.