WASHINGTON: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired a senior US officer assigned to Nato, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday, saying her removal was due to a loss of confidence in her ability to lead. Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield is the latest in a string of top officers to be dismissed by Donald Trump's administration, part of a rare major shakeup of senior US military leadership since the president returned to office in January.
Hegseth removed Chatfield "from her position as US representative to Nato's military committee due to a loss of confidence in her ability to lead," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement, without providing further details.
Chatfield is a helicopter pilot by training who has previous deployments to the Pacific and Gulf in support of carrier strike group and amphibious ready group operations, according to her Nato biography. She was also a senior military assistant to the supreme allied commander for Europe.
Democratic lawmakers slammed her removal, with Representative Adam Smith saying "Our country is less safe because of President Trump's actions," while Senator Jack Reed said the move was "unjustified" and "disgraceful." — AFP
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