The highly decorated head of a critical Navy research office has been replaced with a 33-year-old former DOGE employee with no military experience in a new purge of senior officers at the Pentagon under Pete Hegseth.

A three-star general serving on the Joint Staff was also pushed out, according to reports.

The moves are the latest in a series of departures of top officials with decades of experience within the Defense Department in the Trump administration.

Rear Admiral Kurt Rothenhaus was recently removed from his position as chief of naval research at the Office of Naval Research (ONR). That office is charged with critical technical research and doling out billions in funding for the Navy.

His departure was first reported by The Bulwark.

The Navy chief was replaced with 33-year-ol

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