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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George to step down and retire immediately, the latest in a series of high-profile dismissals that have reshaped the upper ranks of the U.S. military since the Trump administration took office.
A senior Defense Department official confirmed the move to CBS, saying the department was "grateful for his service, but it was time for a leadership change in the Army." A separate source familiar with the decision said Hegseth wants someone in the role who will carry out the vision of President Donald Trump and the defense secretary for the Army.
George, a West Point graduate and career infantry officer commissioned in 1988, served across four decades and multiple conflicts, including Operation Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom. He most recently served as vice chief of staff of the Army from 2022 to 2023, and also held the role of senior military assistant to then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin from 2021 to 2022. On Thursday, West Point posted photos of George on social media showing him meeting with cadets, where he "shared experience-driven guidance" with students preparing to lead.
George was nominated by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate in 2023. The Army chief of staff typically serves a four-year term, meaning George would ordinarily have remained in the post until 2027. His early exit leaves the position vacant well ahead of schedule.
Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the current vice chief of staff of the Army and a former military aide to Hegseth himself, is expected to be among those considered as a replacement. LaNeve previously commanded the Army's 82nd Airborne Division from 2022 to 2023.
George's ouster extends a pattern of senior military firings under Hegseth. Since taking office, the defense secretary has removed more than a dozen high-ranking officers, including 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 shake-up at the top of the Army comes days after a separate public dispute between Hegseth and Army leadership. Last weekend, Army aviators were suspended following a flight over Kid Rock's Nashville home, prompting an administrative review. Hegseth overruled the Army's decision, posting on his personal X account, "No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots." One source told CBS News that the decision to ask George to step down was unrelated to the helicopter incident.
George's departure closes a career marked by sustained service across the Army's most consequential deployments of the past three decades. Whether his exit reflects broader ideological realignment within Pentagon leadership or more specific operational disagreements remains unclear, as administration officials have offered no detailed public explanation beyond a call for "leadership change."
The Pentagon has not announced a timeline for naming George's successor.
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