WASHINGTON, DC – Tonight, after President Trump fired a number of senior U.S. military officers, including General Charles “CQ” Brown, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the Chief of Naval Operations, General James Slife, the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff, all Judge Advocates General for the Army, Navy, and Air Force, and is reportedly considering firing a number of other senior U.S. military officers, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement:

“I am troubled by the nature of these dismissals. This appears to be part of a broader, premediated campaign by President Trump and Secretary Hegseth to purge talented officers for politically charged reasons, which would undermine the professionalism of our military and send a chilling message through the ranks.

“I salute General CQ Brown, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, General James Slife, and their fellow officers for their outstanding service. Each of them have had brilliant careers and led with great courage, honor, and distinction. We owe all of them a debt of gratitude for their service and sacrifice.

“America has the strongest, most capable military in the world. But firing uniformed leaders as a type of political loyalty test, or for reasons relating to diversity and gender that have nothing to do with performance, erodes the trust and professionalism that our servicemembers require to achieve their missions.

“A professional, apolitical military that is subordinate to the civilian government and supportive of the Constitution rather than a political party is essential to the survival of our democracy. For the sake of our troops and the well-being of every American, elected leaders—especially Senate Republicans—must defend that enduring principle against corrosive attempts to remake the military into a partisan force.”