Top US military official on NATO Military Committee fired by Trump amid DEI purge

A top US military officer at NATO’s Brussels headquarters has been fired by President Donald Trump.

Two NATO officials and a diplomat from a NATO country told Politico that the US representative to the NATO Military Committee, Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield, has been relieved of her duties. Chatfield is one of a few female Navy three-star officers and was the first woman to lead the Naval War College. She held that position until 2023. 

The officials did not say why she was fired, though a source told Reuters that Chatfield’s removal may be related to the Pentagon’s crackdown on DEI initiatives. 

In comments made when she started as president of the Naval War College in 2019, which resurfaced and received backlash in 2023, Chatfield said, "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."

In February 2023, former President Joe Biden nominated Chatfield for the role at NATO. A 2023 Daily Signal report stated that Chatfield’s LinkedIn account said, "Talks about #navalaviation and #dei." One post to LinkedIn stated, "Got my wings in ’89 and would have never believed I’d be a member of the Flag Mess standing next to CNAF [Commander, Naval Air Forces] at the 2nd annual DEI conference in ’22!"

Another post from Chatfield said, "looking forward to seeing robust attendance by Naval Aviation leaders at the CNAF DEI Summit this year! Interested in learning more about ALLY-ship? … See you in San Diego!" "ALLY-ship" was the theme of the 2022 conference, and one Navy officer said in a press release that the phrase means "if I’m going to have the audacity to lead, then I have to be bold in bringing people into the team." Another said, "ally-ship is a key enabler for building inclusive teams."

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has criticized NATO, saying that Trump has given him a "clear mission: achieve peace through strength, as well as put America first, our people, our taxpayers, our borders, and our security. We are doing this by reviving the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military, and reestablishing deterrence."

"NATO should pursue these goals as well. NATO is a great alliance, the most successful defense alliance in history, but to endure for the future, our partners must do far more for Europe’s defense," Hegseth said. "We must make NATO great again." Hegseth has also stated that the military will soon "have nothing but the highest and equal standards for men and women in combat."

The Naval Academy has moved to take out over 380 books from its library related to DEI, including "How to Be an Antiracist" by Ibram X Kendi and "Gender Queer," by Maia Kobabe. The order that inspired Hegseth to have the books removed stated that such texts "erode critical thinking but also sow division, confusion, and distrust, which undermine the very foundations of personal identity and family unity."