Trump issues a presidential action to revoke any active security clearances held by 51 government officials associated with a 2020 public letter about Russian election interference. The order is seemingly an attempt to punish and intimidate current and former officials the president perceives as political opponents, using control of security clearances to threaten their livelihoods. These revocations directly undermine current officials’ ability to independently investigate and raise concerns about election interference, leaving Americans more vulnerable to Russian or other foreign influence operations.

National Security Adviser Mike Waltz removes about 160 NSC career staffers—primarily federal employees from agencies such as the U.S. State Department, the FBI, and the CIA—sending them back to their home agencies without replacements. The move impedes interagency coordination, weakening the United States’ ability to effectively pursue national security interests.

The CIA suspends 51 officers who had been temporarily assigned to diversity, equality, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) roles, shortly after the Trump administration ordered the elimination of DEIA programs across the federal government. None of the affected officers are specialists in recruiting or diversity, and America risks losing experienced talent who protect the American people.

In a “Friday night purge,” Trump fires about 17 independent inspectors general across various government agencies. This weakens independent oversight across national security and intelligence activities, putting American personnel at direct risk of ethical violations or legally dubious military operations.

Trump signs executive order 14183, “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,” directing the Department of Defense to ban transgender Americans from military service. The ban leads to the removal or forced retirement of thousands of active-duty service members serving in good standing, including distinguished officers serving in or leading U.S. forces in combat zones. This purge results in the loss of experienced, highly trained personnel—including pilots, hard-target linguists, and cyber specialists. This action exacerbates existing talent shortfalls and impairs readiness.

In what many have since described as the “Friday night massacre,” Trump and Secretary of Defense Hegseth abruptly fire the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General C.Q. Brown; the chief of naval operations, Admiral Lisa Franchetti; the vice chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, General James Slife; and the senior judge advocates general for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Brown was the highest-ranking Black officer in the military and Franchetti was the highest-ranking woman in the Navy. Along with Slife, their firings represented a loss of more than 125 years of service in one fell swoop, demonstrating the Trump administration’s willingness to attack the most distinguished military leaders. This extraordinary move marks one of the first instances of the Trump administration’s efforts to undermine the military’s independence from political influence and erode its commitment to laws of armed conflict.

Watch the recording of a past CAP event about the politicization of the military.

At the prompting of far-right media figure Laura Loomer, the White House fired General Timothy Haugh, who led the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, along with his deputy, Wendy Noble. The White House also fired at least six additional senior NSC officials, including figures overseeing intelligence, international organizations, technology, and legislative affairs. The firings further politicize the intelligence community and NSC staff, pushing out officials who were deemed insufficiently loyal to Trump’s MAGA extremist base. This prioritization of loyalty over credentials weakens the institutions charged with keeping Americans safe and secure.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard fires acting National Intelligence Council Chairman Michael Collins and Vice Chair Maria Langan-Riekhof because of their analysis that the Venezuelan government had not directed the Tren de Aragua gang to “invade” the United States, an analysis that undermined the administration’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. The firings could further limit the intelligence community’s willingness to provide objective analysis. This would weaken the United States’ ability to accurately assess security threats and keep Americans safe.

Hegseth fires Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). Hegseth terminates Kruse after the DIA provided an objective battle damage assessment of the U.S. military’s strike on an Iranian nuclear facility—an assessment that contradicted White House claims. The firing is emblematic of a broader purge of senior Pentagon officials and undermines the intelligence community’s ability to provide objective analysis that is essential to protecting U.S. national security interests. This firing risks a chilling effect in the intelligence community that will likely make Americans less safe.

Trump and Hegseth require military leaders, including hundreds of admirals and generals serving in critical posts all around the world, to come to Quantico, Virginia. In the meeting, Hegseth and Trump push “anti-woke” policies. Hegseth also lectures the leaders on fitness standards, threatens to deploy the military in American cities, and advocates “maximum lethality” in the rules of engagement. These positions not only undermine military efforts to recruit and retain the best fighting force, but they also politicize the military and divert attention from pressing national security issues.

After six members of Congress film a video that factually states that members of the armed forces and intelligence communities have an obligation to refuse illegal orders, Trump suggests they may be subject to imprisonment or death. Federal prosecutors attempted to indict the six lawmakers, but a grand jury blocked these efforts on February 10, 2026. This effort sends a chilling message to any service member forced to choose between following an illegal order or facing retribution.

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A 115-page internal report, authored by active-duty and former FBI agents, portrays the bureau under Patel’s leadership as a “rudderless ship” and “internally paralyzed by fear,” with agents hesitant to act without explicit orders. This dysfunction hampers the FBI’s ability to protect Americans from domestic and foreign threats.

After most members of the Pentagon press corps refused to agree to new rules that could punish journalists for reporting unauthorized information, the Trump administration restricted their access and replaced the press corps with pro-administration media outlets and conspiracy theorists. Press freedom advocates such as the National Press Club deemed this to be a direct assault on independent journalism, making it harder for the public to hold the Defense Department accountable.

Defense Secretary Hegseth endangered U.S. operations by sharing precise strike times in a Signal group chat on an unapproved device, according to a Pentagon inspector general report. The leaked details—normally confined to secure channels—could have allowed Houthi militants to shoot down American aircrafts or fortify defenses, putting troops and national security at serious risk.

Trump announces new class of battleship that is named after himself. Defense analysts criticize this announcement as an expensive waste of time and money as these proposed ships are ill-suited for America’s naval combat needs, will be vulnerable to attack, and are unlikely to ever be launched.

In 2025, the Trump administration deployed federal troops to various U.S. cities, and the CBO estimates that continuing deployments at the current levels will cost $93 million per month. These actions normalize military involvement in domestic affairs, erode constitutional checks, undermine America’s democratic model, and signal to the world that U.S. governance can be bent toward strongman rule.