U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth dismissed Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency on 22 August. Kruse, a holdover from the prior administration, had led the Pentagon’s main intelligence arm since 2021. The decision came after a preliminary DIA assessment—subsequently leaked to the media—concluded that recent U.S. air-and-missile strikes had set back Iran’s nuclear capabilities by only a few months. That finding contrasted sharply with public statements by Hegseth and President Donald Trump, who had described the operation as having “obliterated” Tehran’s program. Pentagon officials did not immediately release details on Kruse’s successor or on any changes to the intelligence community’s review process. The dismissal underscores continuing tensions inside the administration over both the effectiveness of the Iran strikes and the handling of classified information.