Hegseth dismisses 'purging' narrative amid Trump's Pentagon shakeup: 'Time for fresh blood'

This comes after Trump made a series of changes in the Pentagon's top leadership last week, including firing Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Charles Brown and announcing he would replace him with retired Lt. Gen. Dan "Razin" Caine.

Trump also fired the Navy's top leader, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff General James Slife and the judge advocates general of the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Speaking with Fox News on Sunday, Hegseth said that these changes "are a reflection of the president wanting the right people around him to execute the national security approach we want to take."

Speaking about the judge advocates general, Hegseth said that just like the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, these military positions have traditionally been filled by a "small group of insulated officers who perpetuate the status quo."

"Well, guess what, status quo hasn't worked very well at the Pentagon," he said. "It's time for fresh blood, so we're going to open up those positions to a broader set in a merit-based process."

Hegseth pointed out that of the 160 three- and four-star generals in the military, Trump only dismissed or moved a total of six. 

He also criticized what he called "inflation in the ranks over time."

"We won World War II with seven four-star generals, we have 44 today, we have 163 three- and four-star generals and has it created better outcomes or not?" he asked. "We're challenging a lot of assumptions at the Pentagon to streamline what we do to get as many resources as possible to the warfighters."

"There's nothing about purging, there's nothing about it illegal, we've made it clear from the beginning," he explained. "The military will be apolitical, with a fidelity to the Constitution, prepared to close with and destroy our enemies."