Who is Shoshana Chatfield? Trump fires a top US military official to NATO

President Donald Trump has abruptly dismissed Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield, one of America’s highest-ranking military officials at NATO headquarters in Brussels, fueling concerns about the U.S. commitment to the 78-year-old alliance.

Chatfield, the U.S. representative to NATO’s Military Committee, was removed without explanation, according to two NATO officials and a diplomat who spoke anonymously due to the sensitivity of the issue. The move adds to mounting friction between the Trump administration and NATO allies, already strained by harsh rhetoric, disputes over defense spending, and controversial policies like Trump’s push to acquire Greenland and sweeping tariffs on European goods.

Chatfield, a career helicopter pilot with multiple overseas deployments, previously made headlines in conservative media after being labeled “woke” for her emphasis on diversity during her 2019 appointment as the first female 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,” she stated at the time. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has criticized military diversity initiatives as “divisive,” though the Pentagon declined to comment on Chatfield’s firing.

Her removal follows a pattern of abrupt terminations by Trump, including the February firings of Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. C.Q. Brown, as well as last week’s dismissal of National Security Agency chief Gen. Timothy Haugh. Chatfield’s promotion to vice admiral had also been delayed for months in 2023 due to a blockade by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), who protested the Pentagon’s policy covering abortion-related travel for service members.

A seasoned NATO hand, Chatfield served as deputy military representative in Brussels from 2015 to 2017 and later as a senior aide at NATO’s military headquarters in Belgium. The Military Committee, composed of military chiefs from all 32 member nations, advises the alliance on defense strategy and nuclear planning.

The shakeup comes as NATO defense ministers prepare for critical meetings this week on bolstering European security and ramping up military aid for Ukraine. Hegseth, however, is expected to skip the in-person gathering at NATO headquarters, opting instead to visit U.S. Special Forces in Panama—a move aligning with Trump’s recent remarks about “reclaiming” the Panama Canal. While U.S. officials say Hegseth may join the Ukraine aid discussions virtually, NATO allies hope new ambassador Matthew Whitaker, confirmed by the Senate last week, will step in.

The U.S. absence at the talks underscores deepening questions about America’s role in NATO as European leaders increasingly weigh a future with less reliance on Washington.