Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked the U.S. Army’s top uniformed officer, Gen. Randy George, to step down and take early retirement, the Pentagon said Thursday, in a move that comes as the United States wages a war with Iran. George has served as Army chief of staff-the service’s highest-ranking uniformed officer-since August 2023.
A Pentagon official who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed the request for George’s early retirement. CBS News was the first outlet to report the ouster, according to the Pentagon statement.
The removal of Gen. George is the latest in a string of leadership changes at the Pentagon since Hegseth took office last year. Officials say more than a dozen senior generals and admirals have either been fired or pushed into early retirement during Hegseth’s tenure, a pattern that has transformed the military’s top ranks.
George is a West Point graduate and a career infantry officer who served in the first Gulf War and in later operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also served as the top military aide to then–Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin from 2021 to 2022 during the Biden administration before moving into senior Army leadership roles.
Last February, Hegseth removed several top service leaders in an initial round of changes, including Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Navy’s top uniformed officer, and Gen. Jim Slife, the Air Force’s No. 2 uniformed officer; President Donald Trump at the same time relieved Gen. Charles “C.Q.” Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to the original reporting. Since that first wave, successive departures have continued across the services.
Among other recent personnel shifts was the departure of George’s deputy, Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Mingus, who served fewer than two years in the post before Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve-formerly Hegseth’s top military aide-was nominated to replace him after a short tour commanding the Eighth Army in South Korea. The ongoing turnover has added to uncertainty in senior military leadership at a moment of active conflict.
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Original Source: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/pete-hegseth-asks-us-army-chief-gen-randy-george-of-staff-to-step-down-11304613#publisher=newsstand
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Publish Date: 2026-04-03 02:45:00
