'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Over the last weekend, the Donald Trump administration fired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield, the only woman on NATO’s military committee. Two anonymous NATO officials and an unnamed diplomat from a NATO nation confirmed the news on April 7, 2025, according to Politico.
As reported by the Associated Press, Chatfield, stationed at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, received a call from Admiral Christopher Grady, the acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who relayed that the current administration wanted to replace her.
However, the decision to remove Shoshana was reportedly made last week by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. While no reason was given for her dismissal, officials told the outlet that it allegedly arose from her support for diversity within the military.
Trending
Meanwhile, military.com reported that Shoshana Chatfield was viewed as “woke” by conservatives after her 2015 speech at a Women’s Equality Day event. At the time, she pointed out that Congress has historically been male-dominated and that women’s issues have often gone unaddressed.
Chatfield also stated that investing in women's empowerment may hold the key to human potential, adding the well-known military saying, “Our diversity is our strength.”
Notably, Pete Hegseth has often criticized the expression as “the single dumbest phrase in military history.”
More about Shoshana Chatfield’s departure from the U.S. Navy
In addition to her 2015 speech on Women’s Equality Day, Shoshana Chatfield made other remarks that apparently contributed to her ouster. According to Politico, in 2019, she made comments related to diversity when she was appointed President of the Naval War College.
“I want to see members of this team offer each other respect for differences, for diversity, for the dialogue from which ideas and collaboration emerge,” Shoshana said back then.
Later, Chatfield wrote on LinkedIn in favor of a diversity summit. Following her recent firing, several lawmakers, including Virginia Senator Mark Warner, condemned the decision. In an X post, the Democrat said he was “deeply disturbed” by it.
“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 added.
Similarly, Jack Reed, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, stated that the "unjustified dismissal of Vice Admiral Chatfield is disgraceful" and criticized conservatives for remaining silent about the removal of senior military officials without explanation.
"The silence from my Republican colleagues is deeply troubling... I cannot fathom how anyone could stand silently by while the President causes great harm to our military and our nation," Reed said in a statement to Reuters.
At the time of writing, it is still unclear who will take over Ms. Chatfield's position.
According to the Associated Press, Shoshana Chatfield appeared to be on the list of senior military officials labeled as “woke” by the far-right American Accountability Foundation. The foundation sent a letter to Pete Hegseth stating that “purging the woke from the military is imperative.”
The group further demanded the immediate dismissal of those responsible for DEI policies and asserted that military leaders should instead aim to implement lethal steps.
Notably, Shoshana Chatfield is not the only senior female military officer to have been recently ousted. In February, Hegseth fired Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti. Similarly, Donald Trump ousted U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Linda Fagan in January.
In February, Timothy Haugh, a four-star general and head of U.S.Cyber Command as well as the National Security Agency, was fired alongside Joint Chiefs Chairman General Charles "CQ" Brown and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff General Jim Slife.
Earlier this year, Hegseth also fired his senior military assistant, Air Force Lieutenant General Jennifer Short. These dismissals were reportedly part of the current administration’s efforts to purge federal agencies and remove leaders who advocated for diversity.
All you need to know about Shoshana Chatfield
Shoshana Chatfield is a Navy helicopter pilot, serving as one of the 32 representatives on NATO’s military committee. This committee advises the North Atlantic Council and NATO’s Nuclear Planning Group.
She has commanded a joint reconstruction team in Afghanistan and has been deployed to the Pacific and the Persian Gulf as a combat pilot. Shoshana served as the senior military assistant to the Supreme Allied Commander of Europe and was the first female president of the Naval War College.
Ms. Chatfield was the deputy military representative in Brussels from 2015 to 2017 and a senior military aide at NATO’s military headquarters in Mons, Belgium. A recipient of the Bronze Star, she was born and raised in Garden Grove, California, and attended Boston University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree. Shoshana Chatfield obtained her master’s degree and doctorate from Harvard University and the University of San Diego, respectively.
In 2023, Shoshana Chatfield’s promotion was delayed along with 200 other military officials when Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) objected to the Pentagon’s abortion travel policy. That same year, another Senator, Eric Schmitt (R-Montana), made similar efforts to block officers who, he claimed, supported diversity policies.
