🗽🗽Hegseth Ousts Top U.S. Army General In Wartime Shake-Up

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth requested that Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, the top uniformed officer of the service, resign from his position and retire immediately, the Pentagon said last week. “General Randy A. George will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement. “The Department of War is grateful for General George’s decades of service to our nation. We wish him well in his retirement.”

The Army Chief of Staff typically serves a four-year term. George assumed this role in 2023 after being nominated by then-President Joe Biden, and he was expected to remain in the position until 2027.

Previously, Hegseth removed Gen. CQ Brown from his position as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Adm. Lisa Franchetti from her role as Chief of Naval Operations. George had served as a senior military aide to former Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and U.S. officials indicated that he had been under scrutiny for more than a year regarding his position, ABC News reported.

A War Dept. official informed ABC News that Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, Gen. Christopher LaNeve, will become the acting Chief of Staff. This is the standard progression of command, which is why there are two four-star generals in the top roles within the Army. This succession occurs when the Chief of Staff is incapacitated or removed from their post.

Upon leaving his post, George sent out an Army-wide email that appeared to take a potshot at the Trump administration and Hegseth.

“I know you’ll all continue to stay laser-focused on the mission, continue innovating, and relentlessly cut through the bureaucracy to get our warfighters what they need to win on the modern battlefield,” George wrote, according to The Hill, which verified the email after it was posted to the Army’s social media platform Reddit.

“Our soldiers are truly the best in the world –– they deserve tough training and courageous leaders of character,” he continued. “I have no doubt you will all continue to lead with courage, character and grit.”

George said he looked back on his 38-year career in the Army with “immeasurable pride” and always chose to “‘stay another tour’ because of the selfless people I was blessed to serve alongside.”

In addition to George, Hegseth removed Maj. Gen. William Green, the Army’s Chief of Chaplains, and Gen. David Hodne, who headed the Army’s Transformation and Training Command since last year. No reasons for the removals were publicly released, but military commanders serve at the pleasure of the president and War secretary, The Hill added.

The left-leaning outlet was sure to get some Republican lawmakers on record who were supportive of George and appeared to be somewhat critical of the decision to remove him.

House Armed Services Committee Chair Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) said while George was the Army chief of staff, “we made great progress on increasing recruitment, improving efficiency, and modernizing the Army.”

“Throughout his long career in service to America, Gen. George has demonstrated his commitment, courage, and leadership,” Rogers said, without mentioning that Hegseth’s relentless focus on ending wokeness in the military imposed under Biden largely drove the conditions to massively increase recruitment.

Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) told Newsmax’s Ed Henry that he “would look into it immediately” as to why the four-star general was fired.

“I’ve never heard him say anything contrary to what the president’s trying to achieve,” McCormick said. “I thought he’s done a really good job getting the Army ready for war. So, I’d like to hear more because that’s concerning to me.”