India, June 29 -- A Republican congressman and retired US Air Force brigadier general who sits on the House Armed Services Committee declared Sunday that the US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has "undermined" the United States military, breaking sharply with his own party over a Pentagon purge that has now seen roughly 20 generals and admirals fired without explanation, dozens of Black and female officers blocked from promotion, and two of the Army's most celebrated commanders forced out in the middle of an active war.

Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska, appearing on CNN's State of the Union, delivered a blunt verdict on Hegseth's record: "Well, it's wrong to be abrupt or to the point." Bacon, who has disagreed with Hegseth on a series...