Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ousted Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, four U.S. military officials said.
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed George’s departure in a statement Thursday, saying on X that the Army's top officer would 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,” Parnell added.
Hegseth has long eyed removing George, who took the chief post in September 2023. The defense secretary has removed other senior officials he believes are associated with previous administrations. George served as senior military assistant to former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during the Biden administration.
George was expected to remain in the job for longer, at least until next summer, according to four officials.
Hegseth asked George to retire effective immediately. It is unclear who will serve as Army chief, but Hegseth had recently pushed for the installation of Gen. Christopher LaNeve as the vice-chief of the Army, and two officials have said Hegseth made the move to prepare LaNeve to ultimately take over as chief.
George’s departure comes as Trump is fighting a war in Iran, with no clear indication of when the conflict will end. Trump on Wednesday delivered a prime-time address that largely rehashed points he has made since the war began on Feb. 28, saying that he expects it to end “shortly,” but that there will be more strikes before then.
