President Trump has fired a top U.S. military officer at NATO headquarters in Brussels, drawing ire from Democrat lawmakers.
Trump relieved of duty without explanation Navy Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, the U.S. representative to NATO's military committee. A combat veteran, helicopter pilot and the first female president of the Naval War College, she had been serving in the alliance role since December 2023.
Chatfield's firing, first reported by Reuters, was quickly criticized by Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Mark Warner, who posted to social media that he was “deeply disturbed” by the act.
“Trump's relentless attacks on our alliances and his careless dismissal of decorated military officials make us less safe and weaken our position across the world,” Warner wrote on X.
Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed (D-R.I), said Trump's dismissal of Chatfield is “unjustified” and “disgraceful.”
Chatfield's “38-year career as a Navy pilot, foreign policy expert, and preeminent military educator—including as President of the Naval War College—will leave a lasting legacy on the Navy and throughout the military,” he said in a statement. “Admiral Chatfield's record of selfless service is unblemished by President Trump's behavior.”
Reed also called on his Republican colleagues to demand an explanation for the firing, calling it “deeply troubling” considering Trump has fired 10 senior defense officials without explanation in the past three months.
“I cannot fathom how anyone could stand silently by while the President causes great harm to our military and our nation,” Reed writes.
Chatfield's ouster further calls into question the United States' future role in NATO, the transnational military organization founded in 1949. Trump has expressed skepticism about the alliance for some time and has often called on allies to invest more in defense spending.
The Trump's administration's ire at its European allies was on full display in the leak of a Signal chat – revealed last month when the journalist accidentally invited to the unsecured messaging app group of senior officials posted the texts – with Vice President Vance said he hated “bailing Europe out again.” Vance had been discussing the administration's plans to bomb Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Chatfield also has been a target for conservatives, with critics labeling her as “woke” for comments she made in 2019 when taking on the role as president of the Naval War College.
“I want to see members of this team offer each other respect for differences, for diversity, for the dialogue from which ideas and collaboration emerge,” she said at the time.
Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have sought to purge the military of all diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, claiming it distracts from the Pentagon's warfighting mission.
Chatfield is at least the 10th high level defense official pushed out by Trump since he took office in January. The commander-in-chief suddenly terminated Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. C.Q. Brown Jr. along with Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the first female in that role, as well as Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife, Hegseth's senior military assistant Air Force Lt. Gen. Jennifer Short and the judge advocate generals for the Army, Navy and Air Force.
And last week, Trump terminated the head of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, Gen. Timothy Haugh. All firings were handed down with no explanation given.
Chatfield's removal comes as NATO's defense ministers are set to gather in Brussels at the end of this week for a series of meetings to coordinate military support for Ukraine and strengthen Europe's defenses. Hegseth reportedly will not attend the gathering — the first time the group of more than 50 country representatives will meet without the Pentagon chief also participating.
There are also concerns over whether Trump could give up the U.S.'s leadership role within the alliance.
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