US Defense Secretary's Explanation for High - level Official Dismissals

On February 23 local time, a US defense official stated in an interview that several senior officials, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franchetti, and the Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force James Slife, were dismissed. The reason is that the Department of Defense needs to inject 'fresh blood', and these people are no longer suitable for their positions.

The official denied that this was a so - called 'purge' and claimed that all these actions were legal.

The official also said that many three - star rank positions would be changed back to two - star. The long - standing 'inflation' in the US military rank system requires an adjustment of the inflated ranks.