President-elect Donald Trump is already considering establishing a "warrior board" to review senior officers in the US military and weed out "woke generals", according to initial reports from his team.
A draft executive order under consideration by the president-elect’s transition team would set up a board of retired senior officials to audit top brass that do not meet standards of "leadership capability, strategic readiness, and commitment to military excellence".
The move is thought to be Trump’s first step in tackling the issue of "woke generals", which he complained about on the campaign trail, arguing that diversity and inclusion politics had become more important than war-fighting ability.
A copy of the order, seen by the Wall Street Journal, suggests the process will effectively be outsourced to trusted former officers.
The suggestion comes amid Pentagon fears of a purge after Trump takes office on 20 January next year.
The Republican platform policy document formally signed off at the party’s National Convention before the presidential election promised to "get woke Left-wing Democrats fired as soon as possible".
Trump also made it clear early in his campaign that any generals involved in the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan should resign by lunchtime on the day he takes office.