Immediate Oversight of Defense Secretary Hegseth’s Military Purge Needed

I am writing with grave concern about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s systematic dismantling of our military leadership and the unprecedented dissent from top officers, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine. According to the Washington Post (September 29, 2025), multiple senior military officials have raised serious concerns about the administration’s forthcoming defense strategy. This is not bureaucratic disagreement. These are our most experienced commanders warning that political loyalism is replacing strategic judgment at the Pentagon. Since January, Hegseth has fired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, and numerous other distinguished officers. A disproportionate number of women have been removed. He plans to cut 20% of all generals and admirals while the new defense strategy contains partisan attacks on the previous administration in language that mirrors Hegseth’s political speeches rather than sober military planning. Before taking office, Hegseth publicly stated that one-third of senior officers are “actively complicit” in what he views as military politicization. This is loyalty testing, not reform. The new strategy directs military personnel to “seal our borders, repel forms of invasion including unlawful mass migration,” and assist with deportations. Our armed forces exist to defend the nation from foreign threats, not to serve as a domestic political enforcement tool. The strategy also tells Pentagon leaders to “assume risk” in critical regions to prioritize homeland operations and Taiwan. These are sweeping changes to our global military posture being implemented without transparent debate or congressional approval while experienced officers who question them are fired. I demand you use your constitutional authority to require Hegseth to testify before Congress about each senior officer dismissal, establish independent review of the new National Defense Strategy before implementation, and prohibit use of active duty military for domestic law enforcement beyond existing legal boundaries. Our military’s integrity depends on leaders chosen for competence, not political allegiance.