Washington: Army Chief of Staff Randy George has been asked to step down from his post or retire immediately amid the ongoing US war against Iran.
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed the move in a statement posted on social media. “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.”
A senior Defense Department official told CBS News the decision reflected a desire for “a leadership change in the Army,” adding that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seeks an officer who will fully implement President Donald Trump’s vision for the service. No specific reason for the ouster was provided publicly.
The Army Chief of Staff typically serves a four-year term. George was nominated for the position by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate in 2023. He was expected to remain in the role until the fall of 2027. He previously served as vice chief of staff and as senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. His combat experience includes the first Gulf War and operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen Christopher LaNeve is expected to serve as acting army chief of staff. Parnell described LaNeve as “a battle-tested leader with decades of operational experience and is completely trusted by Secretary Hegseth to carry out the vision of this administration without fault.”
The shakeup is the latest in a series of high-level personnel changes under Hegseth, who has removed or forced the retirement of more than a dozen senior generals and admirals since taking office, including former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen C Q Brown, Chief of Naval Operations Adm Lisa Franchetti, and the Air Force’s Vice Chief of Staff.
In addition to George, Hegseth removed two other senior Army officers on Thursday: Gen David Hodne, head of the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command, and Maj Gen William Green Jr, the chief of Army chaplains.
