Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has removed Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George from his role as part of a “leadership change” at the largest branch of the U.S. military.
The decision comes as President Donald Trump is weighing whether to launch a ground operation in Iran as part of Operation Epic Fury.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell made the announcement Thursday afternoon that George would be retiring, effective immediately.
“General Randy A. George will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately. The Department of War is grateful for General George’s decades of service to our nation. We wish him well in his retirement,” he said in a post on X.
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A senior Defense Department official told CBS News, which first reported the news: “We are grateful for his service, but it was time for a leadership change in the Army.”
One source told the outlet that Hegseth wants a new person in Georges’s role — someone who will better fit Trump and Hegseth’s more aggressive vision for the Army.
George was appointed to the position by former President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate in 2023. Army chiefs of staff usually serve four-year terms, and George’s was set to expire in 2027.
He is a West Point graduate with decades of service across multiple wars, including the first Gulf War and the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. He also served as a senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during the Biden administration.
CBS News reported that Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the vice chief of staff of the Army and formerly an aide to Hegseth, is being considered as George’s replacement.
This isn’t the first time Hegseth has ousted a senior military official. In fact, he’s fired dozens. The list includes Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife and the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse.
The push for George to leave came shortly after Trump gave a prime-time address claiming that the war with Iran has been a resounding success.
“We are in this military operation so powerful, so brilliant, against one of the most powerful countries for 32 days, and the country has been eviscerated and essentially is really no longer a threat,” Trump said during his Wednesday night address.
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