The Pentagon on Tuesday confirmed Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield has been removed from her position as the U.S. military representative to NATO's military committee, making her at least the ninth senior military officer forced out by the Trump administration.

The vice admiral was previously the commander of Joint Region Marianas before becoming the first female president of the prestigious Naval War College.

Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement, "Secretary Pete Hegseth has removed U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield from her position as U.S. representative to NATO's military committee due to a loss of confidence in her ability to lead," adding, "the Defense Department is grateful for her many years of military service."

Chatfield had been targeted in the past for comments she made about diversity, equity and inclusion.

Chatfield was singled out in part because of a presentation she gave on Women's Equality Day in 2015 that included a slide that said "Investing in gender equality and women's empowerment can unlock human potential on a transformational scale".

Chatfield's firing marks at least the ninth firing of a senior military officer and the fourth female senior officer forced out by the Trump administration.

Democratic senator Mark Warner posted on social media that he is "deeply disturbed" by Chatfield's firing.

Hegseth, even before he was President Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon, had advocated for firing any officers involved in diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

Chatfield's firing also comes as the Trump Administration weighs plans about the footprint of U.S. forces in Europe and is pressuring members of NATO to spend more on their own defense.