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'People Are Very Scared': Trump Administration Purge of JAG Officers Raises Legal, Ethical Fears
The Commanding General for the Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, Brig. Gen. Joseph B. Berger III, talks to a group of paralegal specialists during Paralegal Warrior Training Course at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, July 20, 2019. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Sgt. Jose A. Torres Jr.)
Military.com | By
Thomas Novelly and
Konstantin Toropin
Published February 24, 2025 at 6:22pm ET

Current military lawyers and legal experts told Military.com the administration's firings of the
Air Force,
Army and
Navy's top judge advocates general politicizes and sets an alarming precedent for a crucial job in the military, all as President Donald Trump has mused about using the military in unorthodox and potentially illegal ways.
Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced late Friday evening the firings of the top legal officers for the military services -- those responsible for ensuring the Uniform Code of Military Justice is followed by commanders -- as well as the Joint Chiefs chairman, the Navy's top officer and Air Force vice chief.
As part of the judge advocates general purge, Air Force Lt. Gen. Charles Plummer and Army Lt. Gen. Joseph Berger were fired. Navy Rear Adm. Lia Reynolds remains in the position because she was already performing the duties of the top lawyer for the sea service following the resignation of Vice Adm. Christopher French late last year. French had been in the job as the Navy's top lawyer for just a few months.
Hegseth told reporters Monday that the removals were necessary because he didn't want them to
pose any "roadblocks to orders that are given by a commander in chief."