Pentagon fires NATO Military Committee representative, who previously led U.S. Naval War College

U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, the U.S. representative to NATO’s Military Committee, was fired over the weekend, the Associated Press reported Monday.

Chatfield served as president of the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, from 2019 to 2023 and was the first woman to lead the college. Her promotion from rear admiral to vice admiral and assignment to NATO in Brussels, Belgium, had been held up for most of 2023 by Alabama’s Republican U.S. in protest of the Pentagon’s abortion policy.

The Pentagon did not confirm that Chatfield had been relieved of her duties. Her firing was first reported by Reuters, which confirmed that allies had been notified that Chatfield had been removed from her job.

Chatfield is the third top female officer to be fired since President Donald Trump took office amid a push to erase DEI programs and online content. Trump fired Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan the day after he was sworn in. In February, Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced he was firing the chief of naval operations, Adm. Lisa Franchetti.

“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,” Chatfield told staff and faculty when she arrived at the War College in August 2019. “I want to see academic excellence. I want to see integrity in academics and in research.”

Her portrait by Alabama artist Jie Ruan now hangs in Conolly Hall, alongside all other portraits of War College presidents dating back to its first president, Rear Adm. Stephen B. Luce, who served from October 1884 to February 1886. Chatfield stands before international flags, dressed in her white choker jacket, a dress uniform women were not allowed to wear when she received her commission through the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps after graduating from Boston University in 1987.

In a post on X, Sen. Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat who is vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said he was “deeply disturbed” by the firing of Chatfield, a combat veteran and helicopter pilot.

“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 said.

Rhode Island’s U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, a Democrat who is the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, called Chatfield’s dismissal “unjustified” and “disgraceful.” Reed added that he found the silence of Republicans in Congress “deeply troubling.”

“Admiral Chatfield is among the finest military officers our nation has to offer, and she has distinguished herself as the U.S. Military Representative to NATO,” Reed said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon. “Her 38-year career as a Navy pilot, foreign policy expert, and preeminent military educator — including as President of the Naval War College — will leave a lasting legacy on the Navy and throughout the military. Admiral Chatfield’s record of selfless service is unblemished by President Trump’s behavior.”

Trump has fired 10 generals and admirals without explanation since he was sworn in on Jan. 20, Reed noted.

“I cannot fathom how anyone could stand silently by while the President causes great harm to our military and our nation,” Reed added. “I will continue to call out this unconscionable behavior and sound the alarm about the dangers of firing military officers as a political loyalty test. I urge my Republican colleagues to join me in demanding an explanation from President Trump and Secretary Hegseth.”

The War College has removed a “small amount” of online content after conducting a review to comply with the Digital Content Refresh memorandum sent out by Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Sean Parnell, said Lt. Cmdr. Pete Pagano, the college’s public affairs officer.

“Examples include social media posts about DoD monthly observances and videos of lectures focused on immutable characteristics such as race, ethnicity or sex,” Pagano said in an email. “None of the affected content was part of or related to our core curriculum.”

This story has been updated to include comment from U.S. Sen. Jack Reed and details on Chatfield’s portrait.