Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth fired two more senior military officials, relieving the heads of the Navy Reserve and Naval Special Warfare Command of their positions.
A Navy official confirmed the firings to Task & Purpose. Vice Adm. Nancy Lacore, and Rear Adm. Milton “Jamie ” Sands III, head of Naval Special Warfare Command, had each been in their leadership roles for a year. USNI News first reported on their removals.
No reason for the firings was given by the Navy official. They were the latest in a string of high-profile firings in the Department of Defense on Aug. 22.
Lacore joined the Navy in 1990 and became a naval aviator, piloting helicopters with Helicopter Combat Support Squadrons Three and Eight, before moving to staff positions. She became Chief of Navy Reserve on Aug. 23, 2024. Sands entered the Navy in 1992. A Navy SEAL, he has deployed to the war in Afghanistan. He had been in charge of Naval Special Warfare Command since Aug. 2, 2024.
Their firing comes the same day that Hegseth fired Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Kruse was dismissed for a “loss of confidence,” the Washington Post first reported, the usual term used by the military to cover a variety of reasons for a relief of command. The Department of Defense’s official comment was a terse statement that Kruse “will no longer serve as DIA Director.” Kruse was the second senior Air Force general to be fired or announce they were leaving their post this week; Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin announced he would retire, although several outlets reported he was being forced out.
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Along with Allvin and the firings this week, several top military officers were removed from their positions once the Trump administration began. In February, Trump and Hegseth fired several of the top military leaders, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown Jr., Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, and the Air Force’s second in command, Gen. James Slife. Additional firings since have included the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard and the head of U.S. Cyber Command.
The chief of naval operations position sat vacant for almost half a year until Adm. Daryl Caudle was confirmed by the Senate at the end of July. It is not immediately clear who will take over for Lacore or Sands.
