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Did Blake Masters say he wants to fire any military officer who doesn't agree with him politically?

By Ngan Nguyen
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NO

Blake Masters, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Arizona, has not said he wants to fire every military officer who doesn't share his politics, although he has called for the ousting of "woke" and "left-wing" generals.

In February 2022, he proposed “purging the military of left-wing generals” on the conservative podcast “Steak for Breakfast,” saying there were “a lot of center-right or apolitical colonels that we can promote” instead.

“It means getting rid of the woke stuff. It means getting back to the mission of lethality,” he said.

The following month, Masters claimed during an extended interview with an Arizona talk radio host that “every general above a two-star at this point is some kind of left-wing politician.” He again argued they “need to be fired and retired.”

News outlets including The Arizona Republic and Vice have obtained additional recordings of Masters making similar remarks at in-person events and online.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
iHeart Garret Talks To Sen Candidate Blake Masters About Gas Prices, Ukraine - The Morning Ritual with Garret Lewis
Blake Masters Our top generals have turned into woke corporate bozos, and our troops deserve better.
The Arizona Republic GOP Senate hopeful Blake Masters repeatedly has criticized US military
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is the state’s only independent, nonpartisan and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven investigative reporting. AZCIR's mission is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable by exposing injustice and systemic inequities through investigative journalism.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.