Officials push back on claims of 'list' of generals Hegseth plans to fire at Pentagon

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Ukraine regaining pre-2014 borders is 'unrealistic objective,' Hegseth says

Secretary of State Pete Hegseth speaks about ending Ukraine war during first visit to NATO headquarters.

Officials are pushing back on the notion that the Department of Defense has a "list" of flag officers that Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to fire. 

Republican lawmakers on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees said Thursday that they had heard about a list but not been presented anything.

The rumors flew through the Pentagon Thursday, creating fear among top-ranked officers, as reports that thousands of probationary DOD employees, including many military veterans, could be affected by the federal workforce reductions ordered by the White House.

Among the names on the purported list was U.S. Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the current Chief of Naval Operations and the second woman to be promoted to a four-star Admiral in the Navy’s history, a senior official said Thursday. 

"She is one of the folks on the list," the official said, though no official document from the secretary's office with names has been seen. 

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U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attends a NATO Defence Ministers meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium last week.  (REUTERS/Yves Herman)

The list purportedly contained a "handful of names," but it may not be the final version.

"I may have heard a rumor, but I'm not going to speculate on rumors," Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) told Fox News. "No one has approached me about such a list other than people asking me questions."  

Hegseth was slated to travel Friday to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to conduct a media interview, but the trip has been postponed until Tuesday.

Some officials have taken the postponement to be another sign that firings could be imminent. Late Friday is often the time that firings are announced in Washington. 

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Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Lisa Franchetti on Thursday, May 23, 2024. (Getty Images)

During her tenure, Franchetti commanded two aircraft carrier strike groups in the Pacific and served as the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Korea. She also served as the deputy chief of naval operations for warfighting development, and director for strategy, plans, and policy of the Joint Staff. 

As head of the Navy's 6th Fleet, she oversaw the Navy's response to Syrian President Bashar al Assad's use of chemical weapons.

"She is a war fighter with combat experience. She's an operational leader. She's a strategist. She's an innovator,"Adm. Michael Gilday, the former Chief of Naval Operations, said when Franchetti was nominated by then-President Joe Biden in July 2023.

"She's a team builder. She's a trailblazer. She's an example of personal and professional resilience and a testament to the power of the American dream to inspire service and sacrifice," Gilday said.

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Hegseth has been outspoken about his belief that women should not serve in combat roles.

"I’m straight up saying that we should not have women in combat roles – it hasn’t made us more effective, hasn’t made us more lethal, has made fighting more complicated," he said on a Nov. 7, 2024 episode of the "Shawn Ryan Show" podcast.

He later clarified his comments, saying his remarks had been "misconstrued, that I somehow don't support women in the military, some of our greatest warriors, our best warriors out there are women."

Joint Chiefs Chairman C.Q. Brown was also rumored to be on the list.

When asked if he would fire Brown on his first day in office, Hegseth said "I look forward to working with him."

Brown was standing next to Hegseth as he answered the question.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This report has been updated to reflect new information from congressional lawmakers.