Sunday, 5 April 2026 — Struggle / La Lucha
Arlington, Va. — Military funeral honors at Arlington National Cemetery. The New York Times reported that Hegseth’s chief of staff opposed a Black woman general’s appointment to a ceremonial command role, saying Trump would not want to be seen with a Black woman officer at events like this, as the war expands and casualties grow.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George on April 2, ordering him to retire immediately. George is one of more than a dozen senior officers pushed out since January.
According to NBC News, George — whose four-year term was expected to run until September 2027 — sought a meeting with Hegseth after the defense secretary blocked promotions for Army officers selected for advancement, targeting women and Black men. Hegseth refused to meet, officials told NBC.
The New York Times reported that the same intervention extended to command appointments. Hegseth’s chief of staff, Ricky Buria, objected to the selection of Maj. Gen. Antoinette R. Gant to lead the Military District of Washington, saying Trump would not want to be seen publicly with a Black woman officer at military events.
Other officers removed include Gen. David Hodne and Maj. Gen. William Green Jr., chief of Army chaplains.
The firings have drawn unusual pushback. Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee have defended George publicly. Rep. Mike Rogers praised his efforts to modernize the Army, while Rep. Austin Scott called him a “principled leader.” Retired Gen. Jack Keane also criticized the decision.
The dismissals recall the Saturday Night Massacre under Nixon — the 1973 purge of Justice Department officials who refused to carry out the president’s orders. Military analysts and former officials say officers are being forced out for resisting illegal orders and objecting to the ideological direction Hegseth is imposing on the armed services.
That direction includes a sharp turn toward Christian nationalist doctrine. Hegseth has gone beyond imposing evangelical services at the Pentagon. The New York Times reports that he urged the public to pray ‘every day, on bended knee’ for victory in Iran “in the name of Jesus Christ.” He has also brought in clergy from his own denomination, including Rev. Doug Wilson, a self-described ‘paleo-Confederate’ who has defended Christian enslavers and argued that women should be denied the vote. Chaplains report being sidelined as protections for non-Christian service members are rolled back.
Hegseth’s public rhetoric has crossed into openly criminal territory. At a March 13 press conference, he said U.S. forces would show “no quarter, no mercy.” In military law, “no quarter” means killing combatants who try to surrender — a clear violation of the law of armed conflict. The Pentagon’s own Law of War Manual identifies such statements as war crimes.
The widening assault is showing up in the target list as well. The World Health Organization says it has verified more than 20 attacks on health care in Iran since March 1.
France 24 reported strikes on eight pharmaceutical factories, including a cancer drug facility. It also reported strikes on 60 pharmacies and the Pasteur Institute of Iran in Tehran, a major center for medical research and vaccine production.
The Iranian Red Crescent says 307 health, medical and emergency-care facilities have been damaged in the war.
On April 4, U.S. strikes hit near the Bushehr nuclear power plant, a civilian electricity-generating facility, drawing warnings from the International Atomic Energy Agency that nuclear power sites must never be attacked because damage could spread radioactive contamination across a wide area.
The purge is unfolding as the U.S. war on Iran is failing. Trump claimed Iran’s air defenses were “100% annihilated.” Two days later, U.S. forces lost an F-15E and an A-10, and two rescue helicopters were hit. Iran is relying on passive infrared systems that are harder to detect. As the war fails to produce the quick victory promised, voices around Trump are pushing wider aims. Those aims include forcing open the Strait of Hormuz and threatening Kharg Island, the hub of Iran’s oil exports.
The U.S. Navy has already failed to secure the Red Sea against attacks from Yemen. Hormuz would be a far larger and more consequential test.
The war is opening a political split at home. A CNN/SSRS poll found 66% disapprove of Trump’s war on Iran, with similar results across multiple surveys. Opposition rises further on escalation: Roughly three-quarters oppose sending ground troops, including a majority of Republicans.
The split is now out in the open. Republicans who long demanded deference to military commanders are now breaking with the administration while a war is underway.
The brass are not opponents of imperialism. They have spent their careers carrying out U.S. wars. What is breaking down is unity within the ruling class over how to conduct a war that is failing. This is a fight over how imperialist policy is carried out, not whether to carry it out.
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