The Trump administration has fired a senior NATO official who was recommended for dismissal by a conservative research group as part of a larger effort to rid the Pentagon of wokeness.
According to multiple reports, Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield, the only woman on NATO’s military committee, was dismissed over the weekend without explanation. She is one of the few female Navy three-star officers and was the first woman to oversee the Naval War College, a position she held until 2023.
According to the Associated Press, Chatfield received a call from Adm. Christopher Grady, the acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, informing him that the administration wanted to take a different approach to the job.
Officials believe Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made the decision last week, but it is unclear whether he was directed by President Donald Trump. Reuters was the first to report on her termination, Fox News reported.
It was unclear whether her dismissal was tied to any US policy directive toward the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Trump and Hegseth have been outspoken in their belief that so-called woke policies are dead, and they have actively sought to remove leaders who have advocated for diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as to eliminate DEI programs and online content. The United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, is removing over 400 books from its library containing DEI content.
In December, the American Accountability Foundation (AAF), a conservative research organization, sent Hegseth a letter containing a list of 20 general officers or senior admirals who it claimed were overly focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and other left-wing initiatives. The AAF stated that focusing on such policies is an impediment to national security, and Chatfield was one of eight women named to the list.
Chatfield made the list in part because of a 2015 speech in which she lamented the fact that the House of Representatives at the time was 80% male, proclaiming that “our diversity is our strength.” According to the group, she also cited a slide from a Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute presentation emphasizing how “investing in gender equality and women’s empowerment can unlock human potential on a transformational scale.”
Chatfield, a Navy helicopter pilot and commander of a joint reconstruction team in Afghanistan, was one of NATO’s 32 military committee representatives. According to NATO, the panel provides the North Atlantic Council and NATO’s Nuclear Planning Group with the majority of their military advice. It acts as a link between political leaders and NATO’s military structure.
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said he was “deeply disturbed” by her dismissal while criticizing President Trump.
“Trump’s relentless attacks on our alliances and his careless dismissal of decorated military officials make us less safe and weaken our position across the world,” Warner wrote on X.
Senator Jack Reed, D-R.I., the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, also condemned the president’s firing of Chatfield, calling it “disgraceful.”
Admiral Chatfield is one of the best military officers our country has to offer, and she has distinguished herself as the United States Military Representative to NATO.
Her 38-year career as a Navy pilot, foreign policy expert, and preeminent military educator, which included serving as President of the Naval War College, will leave an indelible mark on the Navy and the entire military. Admiral Chatfield’s record of selfless service is unaffected by President Trump’s actions.
Reed also chastised Republicans for not expressing their displeasure with her dismissal, noting that Trump has fired ten generals and admirals since taking office. It comes after General Timothy Haugh, the head of the National Security Agency and the United States Cyber Command, was removed on Thursday.
For the Navy, it comes after the dismissal of its top officer, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to be appointed Chief of Naval Operations.