Obama fired top military officers to align Pentagon with his policy vision, now Trump set to do the same

Rumors swirled this week that Secretary Pete Hegseth is prepping a database of apical Pentagon brass for the chopping block, but it's not the archetypal clip an medication has cleaned retired apical subject commanders to align with caller governmental goals.

Five months into bureau successful 2009, President Barack Obama relieved Army Gen. David McKiernan arsenic the commandant of U.S. forces in Afghanistan – making McKiernan the archetypal wartime commandant to beryllium dismissed since Gen. Douglas MacArthur successful 1951.

He was replaced by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who had led peculiar operations forces successful Iraq, connected the proposal of Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who wanted "fresh eyes" successful the drawn-out Afghanistan conflict. 

"We person a caller strategy, a caller ngo and a caller ambassador. I judge that caller subject enactment is besides needed," Gates said astatine a quality conference. 

OFFICIALS PUSH BACK ON CLAIMS OF 'LIST' OF GENERALS HEGSETH PLANS TO FIRE AT PENTAGON

Days earlier helium was summoned to conscionable with Obama astir the job, McChrystal had fixed a code successful London connected the request for a subject buildup successful Afghanistan. Shortly afterward, Obama authorized the deployment of 33,000 troops to Afghanistan. 

Only a twelvemonth into his command, McChrystal resigned, pushed retired by Obama aft reportedly badmouthing White House officials, and was replaced by Gen. David Petraeus.

Obama besides fired Gen. James Mattis arsenic caput of U.S. Central Command – and Trump erstwhile quipped that the "only thing" helium and Obama had successful common was "the grant of firing Jim Mattis."

Obama and Mattis fell retired implicit the withdrawal from Iraq. "Central Command, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and the caller Defense Secretary, Leon Panetta, who had replaced Bob Gates, continued to urge to the White House retaining a residual force, arsenic did Secretary of State Hillary Clinton," Mattis wrote successful his publication ‘Call Sign Chaos.’

$1,300 COFFEE CUPS, 8,000% OVERPAY FOR SOAP DISPENSERS SHOW WASTE AS DOGE LOCKS IN ON PENTAGON

Obama, who promised to "finish the job" successful Afghanistan aft helium withdrew troops from Iraq successful 2011, surged arsenic galore arsenic 100,000 troops into Afghanistan, past drew them retired astatine a rapid-fire gait that galore successful the subject advised against, finishing his word successful 2017 with 8,400 American troops connected the ground. Ending the warfare besides evaded the consequent Trump administration, which acceptable a removal deadline that fell nether the pursuing Biden medication and resulted successful the messy withdrawal successful August 2021 and the deaths of 13 U.S. troops.

But the Obama presidency was marred by reports of a schism betwixt the White House and the military. 

One general, upon returning from Afghanistan, reportedly said helium felt that the Obama White House wanted the subject to beryllium "seen and not heard." 

In his memoir, "Duty," Gates blamed then-Vice President Joe Biden, who had pushed against the archetypal surge successful Afghanistan, for Obama’s mediocre narration with the military.

"I thought Biden was subjecting Obama to Chinese h2o torture, each time saying ‘the subject can’t beryllium trusted,’ " helium wrote.

In 2012, the Navy removed and replaced Rear Adm. Charles M. Gaouette arsenic commandant of an craft bearer onslaught radical deployed successful the Middle East implicit allegations of inappropriate enactment judgment. The Navy Inspector General aboriginal recovered that Gaouette had made racially insensitive remarks successful emails. The Navy denied assertions that Gaouette had been dismissed for providing assistance during the Benghazi onslaught without orders. 

In October 2013, the Air Force fired the two-star wide successful complaint of 450 nuclear missiles, Michael Carey, owed to "loss of spot and assurance successful his enactment and judgment." That aforesaid week, Obama fired the number-two atomic commander, Vice Adm. Tim Giardina, from U.S. Strategic Command aft helium was progressive successful a transgression probe into utilizing counterfeit gambling chips successful a poker crippled astatine a occidental Iowa casino.

Obama fired Army Gen. Michael Flynn arsenic caput of the Defense Intelligence Agency successful 2014 implicit "insubordination," which Flynn claimed had stemmed from criticisms helium had made astir Obama not being pugnacious capable connected Islamic extremism.

Obama’s moves to slim down the equipped forces and reinvent societal policies to support number groups proved contentious among subject brass. Critics claimed that his abrupt unit drawdowns successful Iraq and Afghanistan had allowed for ISIS to summation ground, portion supporters painted him arsenic a Nobel Peace Prize victor who had kicked disconnected a reorientation of the U.S. from the Middle East theatre to the Indo-Pacific. 

Wildfire-like rumors swirled astir Washington connected Thursday of a "list" of names Hegseth has reportedly circulated among legislature leaders of generals and admirals helium planned to fire. But members and unit of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees had seen nary specified list.