Hegseth Ousts Air Force Chief as Trump Purges Top Military Brass
General David Allvin is being forced out halfway through his four-year term.
Oliver Contreras / AFP via Getty Images
Air Force Chief of Staff General David Allvin announced he will retire later this year after being forced out by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the latest military purge under Donald Trump, according to a report.
Allvin, just two years into his four-year term, did not give a reason for stepping down in a statement on Monday. But an anonymous source told The Washington Post the move was not his decision.
Hegseth was reportedly preparing to ask Allvin to leave because he wanted the Pentagon to “go in a different direction,” but allowed the Air Force chief to announce the decision himself. “It was certainly not his choice,” the source told The Post.
An Air Force source told The Post they were surprised it took so long for the Trump administration to push Allvin out.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
An Air Force official also told the newspaper that the Trump administration had grown frustrated with Allvin over his preparations for a potential security crisis involving China.
Allvin is the latest top military leader to be pushed out since Trump returned to the White House in January. The president has already purged former Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Linda Lee Fagan, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti, and General C.Q. Brown as chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In April, Trump also fired General Timothy Haugh, the director of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, along with several other NSA officials, after being persuaded to do so by far-right activist Laura Loomer.
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Hegseth, who has vowed to fight DEI—or diversity, equality, and inclusion—in the U.S. military, has banned books and dropped a women’s peace and security program that was set up by the first Trump administration.
General David Allvin appeared with Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth at the March announcement the Air Force's new fighter jet, the F-47.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
One senior Air Force officer said they were surprised by Allvin’s early retirement announcement. “I don’t know what this is about—he’s a great leader and this is going to be another transition in the building,” the officer told Politico.
The retirement is expected to be on or about November 1. Allvin said he was “grateful for the opportunity” to serve as the 23rd Air Force chief of staff. “More than anything, I’m proud to have been part of the team of airmen who live out our core values of integrity, service, and excellence every day as we prepare to defend this great nation,” he added.
Allvin will remain in his role until a successor is confirmed. General Thomas Bussiere, Trump’s pick for Air Force vice chief of staff who played a key role in Operation Midnight Hammer—the U.S. military strikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities in June—is believed to be the frontrunner.
The Pentagon declined to comment when approached by the Daily Beast. The White House and the Air Force did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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