The Pentagon fired Air Force Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse on Friday, weeks after a classified Defense Intelligence Agency assessment on U.S. airstrikes in Iran was leaked to the media.
The preliminary report suggested that strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities only delayed the regime’s program by a few months.
A senior Defense official confirmed to The Post that Kruse “will no longer serve as DIA Director.”
DIA Deputy Director Christine Bordine is now acting director, according to the agency’s website.
Kruse had led the DIA since February 2024, overseeing military intelligence operations for the U.S. government.
His dismissal reportedly came after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth cited a “loss of confidence” in the lieutenant general, two congressional sources told the New York Times.
The leaked DIA assessment, labeled a “low confidence” analysis, evaluated the effectiveness of June 21 airstrikes on Iran’s Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz nuclear sites. CNN received the document just three days after the attacks, which involved B-2 stealth bombers and cruise missiles, per the New York Post.
Officials described the preliminary report as based on limited intelligence gathered immediately after the strikes. It reportedly concluded that Iran could restore its nuclear program within one to two months and that its stockpile of enriched uranium remained largely intact.
The leak drew immediate condemnation from President Trump, who slammed the report on Truth Social as “AN ATTEMPT TO DEMEAN ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MILITARY STRIKES IN HISTORY.” The president maintained that the nuclear sites had been “completely destroyed.”
Special envoy Steve Witkoff also criticized the leak, calling it “outrageous” and “treasonous” during an appearance on Fox News’ Ingraham Angle. Witkoff demanded a probe to identify the leaker and hold them accountable.
Kruse’s firing is the latest shake-up in the intelligence community under Trump. Former NSA Director Timothy Haugh was dismissed in April, along with at least three National Security Council staffers, signaling a broader pattern of turnover at senior positions.
Virginia Sen. Mark Warner (D), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, denounced Kruse’s removal. Warner said it highlights a “dangerous habit of treating intelligence as a loyalty test rather than a safeguard for our country.”
He called the firing “troubling,” given Kruse’s decades of non-partisan military service.
Warner also tied the ouster directly to the leaked DIA report, noting it contradicted the president’s claim to have “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program.
“That kind of honest, fact-based analysis is exactly what we should want from our intelligence agencies, regardless of whether it flatters the White House narrative,” he said.
The lawmaker warned that sidelining expertise and silencing intelligence could embolden adversaries and leave America less secure.
Kruse’s termination marks a clear signal from the Trump administration that dissenting intelligence findings—particularly those challenging public statements about military successes—carry serious career risks. The Pentagon has not commented on any ongoing investigation into the source of the leak.
As Christine Bordine steps in as acting DIA director, observers will watch closely to see whether the agency’s assessments will continue to reflect unvarnished intelligence or face greater scrutiny under the current leadership.
