Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, removing the Army’s top officer in the latest shake-up of military leadership amid the war in Iran.
Hegseth asked George to step down and retire immediately, a Department of Defense official confirmed Thursday to MS NOW. Christopher LaNeve, a former Hegseth military aide, is expected to serve as acting chief of staff.
CBS was the first to report the ousting. The Pentagon confirmed George’s departure Thursday in a social media post, without further detail.
“The Department of War is grateful for General George’s decades of service to our nation. We wish him well in his retirement,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell wrote on X.
George was nominated by President Joe Biden in 2023 and served about three years of what would have typically been a four-year position. His term was set to end in 2027.
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Ebony Davis is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked at CNN as a campaign reporter covering elections and politics.
Julia Jester covers politics for MS NOW and is based in Washington, D.C.
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