Defence Secretary Hegseth fires US army chief in new shake-up
- Last updated: April 3, 2026 | 10:42
The Trump administration has fired army chief of staff General Randy George and two other senior figures, officials said Friday, in a surprise shake-up just as US forces are locked in a major war against Iran.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's ouster of George, the top US Army general, meant the latest in a series of high-profile departures from the military since President Donald Trump returned to power a year ago.
There was little in the way of a public explanation for sacking George, a highly decorated veteran who oversaw the army at a time when the United States is more than a month into a punishing bombing campaign against Iran that Trump says will continue several weeks more.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell posted a statement on X late Thursday that George "will be retiring from his position... effective immediately."
During a nearly four-decade military career, George deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan multiple times and also served in positions including vice chief of staff of the army and senior military assistant to then-defense secretary Lloyd Austin during Joe Biden's term as president.
The army's vice chief of staff General Christopher LaNeve will take over as acting chief of staff, CBS reported.
Hegseth previously said LaNeve is "a battle-tested leader with decades of operational experience."
An official also confirmed that General David Hodne and Major General William Green Jr. were removed alongside George.
Hodne led the Army's Transformation and Training Command while Green was in charge of the Army's Chaplain Corps.
Trump has overseen a purge of top military officers, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, general Charles "CQ" Brown, whom he fired without explanation in February 2025, shortly after taking office.
Other senior officers dismissed include the heads of the Navy and Coast Guard, the general who headed the National Security Agency, the vice chief of staff of the Air Force, a Navy admiral assigned to NATO, and three top military lawyers.
The chief of staff of the Air Force also announced his retirement without explanation just two years into a four-year term, while the head of US Southern Command retired a year into his tenure.
Hegseth has insisted the president is simply choosing the leaders he wants, but Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about the potential politicization of the traditionally neutral US military.
Last year, the Pentagon chief additionally ordered at least a 20 percent cut in the number of active-duty four-star generals and admirals in the US military, as well as a 10 percent cut in the overall number of general and flag officers.
Agence France-Presse